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Big Mama Thornton

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Houston, United States (1947 – 1984)

Big Mama Thornton (born Willie Mae Thornton on December 11, 1926 in Montgomery, AL) was an American blues musician. Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.

She joined Sammy Green’s “Hot Harlem Revue” and toured throughout the South in the 1940’s, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state’s growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter’s energy onto record.

Her big hit came, not from Robey’s capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was “Hound Dog,” which she recorded in 1953 with the Johnny Otis band. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama’s growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks.

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blues, female vocalists, classic blues, old blues, rhythm and blues
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Ball N' Chain
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Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings
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The Rising Sun Collection
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Top Tracks

1	Hound Dog	482
2	They Call Me Big Mama	75
3	I'm Feeling Alright full track	52
4	Sometimes I Have A Heartache full track	50
5	Little Red Rooster full track	49
6	I Smell A Rat	45
7	Life Goes On	41
8	Swing It on Home full track	38
9	Sweet Little Angel full track	36
10	Ball And Chain full track	34
11	My Heavy Load full track	31
12	Unlucky Girl full track	28
13	Ball n' Chain full track	27
14	School Boy full track	24
15	Gimme a Penny full track	23

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Grotessque wrote:
last month

:)

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jinxnscooter wrote:
October 2009

she is one of the cornerstone of music!!! a total icon..

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Sussy_0458 wrote:
October 2009

God bless big mama!

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criadosinfernos wrote:
July 2009

yooouuuuuu aaaaaiiinnnttt nothing but a hound dog! ehehehehhe

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Alberella wrote:
July 2009

Great!

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MarcelaLSD wrote:
June 2009

Muito bom!

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Ton87 wrote:
June 2009

She's good!!

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stylezp23 wrote:
April 2009

OHH MOMAA

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T_Bex wrote:
March 2009

yees.

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HampusForever wrote:
March 2009

Wow Mama has got it going

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chyprechypre wrote:
March 2009

I love this track!

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zayleena wrote:
February 2009

this gal can sure sing, and pronounce her words too, pure genius

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monicacaroline wrote:
September 2008

incredible.

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PigmeatI wrote:
May 2008

The love of my life. The prototype for Aretha Franklin and the great soul singers of the 60's. BTW,she'd have beat Elvis like a dirty rug. Scrawny lil' feller.

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theapril-sea wrote:
May 2008

great woman.real voice.pure talent.

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bgranli wrote:
February 2008

I smell a rat = awesomeness

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Teltnuag wrote:
December 2007

Wade in the Water is indeed smokin' hot; it should be higher.

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Jane3000 wrote:
September 2007

The opening vocals--and really, the whole song--of Wade in the Water send chills down my spine.

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czz310 wrote:
July 2007

mama

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igor_falc wrote:
July 2007

blues mama

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