Up Next
Back to Show
American Masters
Monologue from "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" by August Wilson
"White folks don’t understand about the blues," says Ma Rainey in the play, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," set in a Chicago recording studio in 1927. This dramatic reading created for August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand is performed by Ebony Jo-Ann. The play premiered in 1984 at Yale Repertory Theatre and opened on Broadway the same year to win a New York Drama Critics Circle award.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:29:33
See the story of the Indigenous singer-songwriter, social activist, educator and artist.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:53:01
Explore the life of the famous singer who became an icon for the civil rights movement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:39:49
The story of the author of the “The Joy Luck Club.”
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:28
Explore the life of artist Keith Haring who revolutionized pop culture and fine art.
1:23:25
Delve into the enigmatic life of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet N. Scott Momaday
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:11
Trace the journey of one of America’s greatest choral music conductors.
1:52:53
Explore the entertainer’s life with unprecedented access to his archives. Director's cut.
1:24:03
See a new side of innovative writer Edgar Allan Poe, best known for Gothic horror tales.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:37
Today he is known as a kitchen supernova, but Jacques Pépin's career began humbly.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:53:14
"The Queen of Country Music” is still going strong after more than 50 years of music.
1:23:12
Explore the mysterious life of Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird