Big Mama Thornton
Forgotten Pioneer of Rock and Roll
Even if you didn’t see the recent award winning film, everyone has heard of Elvis Presley and heard him sing the words, “I ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.” This was his signature song—-the one that propelled him to fame and an estimated lifetime earnings of $4.3 billion.
It is less likely you have heard of Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
https://www.al.com/mcolurso/2011/05/year_of_alabama_music_willie_m.html
Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1926, Big Mama Thornton first recorded “Hound Dog” in 1952 and received $500 in payment, her only earnings from the song. The discrepancy between Thornton’s rate of profit and that of Elvis has been described as perhaps the most notorious example of the inequity that existed when a black original was covered by a white artist.
Big Mama, who was known for her menacing growl and hefty belting, first started singing in church but soon embraced the blues. Traditionally, because of it’s sometimes sultry melodies, raunchy topics, and explicit lyrics, black churches frowned upon the blues—-what they called “devil’s music.” After her mother died, Big Mama toured with Sammy Green's Hot Harlem Revue during the 1940s.
In 1951, Big Mama met Peacock Records boss, Don Robey, who signed her to a contract. It was there on her third Peacock project with Johnny Otis' band that she made her name. With Pete Lewis laying down guitar behind her, Big Mama laid down "Hound Dog," a tune written by the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
It made Big Mama a star.
https://thekollection.com/the-true-story-of-rock-and-roll-how-whitewashing-let-down-the-black-voice/
But once Elvis released his version of “Hound Dog,” Big Mama was forgotten. However, she soldiered on. Along with her imposing vocals, Thornton began to emphasize her harmonica skills during the 1960s.
Her first vinyl rendition of "Ball and Chain" in 1968 and two albums for Mercury in 1969-1970 put her back in circulation. But again, her success was usurped by a white artist. This time it was Janis Joplin, who, to much acclaim, released Ball and Chain. “Ball and Chain” was named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Health problems and money woes tormented Big Mama’s last years of life. Medical personnel found her lifeless body alone in an L.A. rooming house in 1984. It was in 1984 that she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton had an incredibly impactful career, but her triumphs and tragedies illuminate some of the ugly realities of race relations and their constraints and impact on African American performers during the years of her life.