Diary of a Mad Boney

the most thrilling time for me was meeting ma rainey’s niece and nephew.  their faces looked familiar to for some reason.  i went over to their table and asked if they were related to ma rainey and of course “yes” was the word.  but somehow i kept feeling i knew these people.  i finally asked if they knew my father who owned a drugstore in historic columbus, georgia.  the niece looked around at me and asked, “are you madeleine?”  i said yes, and was totally shocked!  they remembered me running around my father’s drugstore.  ma’s niece said she had not seen me since i was a little girl.  they even called my parents by their first names.  guess what?  i was so excited i forgot to take photos of me with ma rainey’s family or photos of my set.  this was the whole point in doing this festival.  now i have another reason to do this festival year after year;  ma’s family would expect me to.   after all, ma’s niece and my father often talked about me becoming a professional entertainer.  at that time, i wanted to be a nurse!  i’m happy to be home to rediscover these memories!