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".
