Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
(December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984),
was an American
singer and songwriter
of Blues
and
R&B/Soul
The Encyclopedia of
Pop,
Rock and Soul
described Thornton
by saying:
"Her booming voice,
sometimes
200-pound frame,
and exuberant
stage manner
had audiences
stomping their feet
and shouting
encouragement
in R&B theaters
from coast to coast
from the early 1950s on".
Thornton was the first
to record
Leiber and Stoller's
"Hound Dog",
in 1952,
which was written for her.
It became
Thornton's biggest hit,
selling over
500,000 copies
and staying
seven weeks at
number one
on the
Billboard R&B chart
in 1953.
According to
New York University
music professor
Maureen Mahon,
"the song is seen as
an important beginning of
rock-and-roll,
especially in its use
of the guitar as
the key instrument".
Thornton's other recordings
include her song
"Ball and Chain",
made famous in the
late 1960s
by
Janis Joplin.
Though later recordings
of her songs by
other artists
sold millions of copies,
she was denied royalties
by not holding the
publishing copyrights
to her creativity.
Thornton died of a
heart attack
and liver disorders,
penniless in a
boarding-house
in
Los Angeles, California,
and was buried in a
shared pauper's grave.
In 2024,
Thornton was
posthumously inducted
into the
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
in the musical
influence category.
TRACK LIST
Sweet Little Angel
Unlucky Girl
Swing It On Home
Little Red Rooster
Hound Dog
Your Love Is Where It Ought To Be
School Boy
My Heavy Load
I'm Feeling Alright
Sometimes I Have A Heartache
Black Rat
Life Goes On
Bumble Bee
Gimme A Penny
Wade In The Water
Ball N' Chain
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