"For many, the stereotypical image of the early recorded blues performer is that of a black itinerant bluesman, guitar in hand, playing in a rural landscape such as the Mississippi Delta. This perception however is slightly wide of the mark, as the first blues songs recorded were by women ... The 1920s "classic era" of recorded blues was dominated by women who lived, performed, and recorded in the cities, even if, like Ma Rainey, they brought a country feel to their music. This first wave of female artists developed a tradition which had previously only been transmitted through local folk culture and transformed it into a performing art which appealed to the broader public".