Big Mama Thornton

Willie Mae ("Big Mama") Thornton (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American blues singer.

Hound Dog

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. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.

Related Topics:
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller - Hound Dog - 1953 - Johnny Otis - Billboard - Rhythm and blues - Charts - Elvis Presley - Pop

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