Big Mama Thornton

Big Mama Thornton
Thornton about 1955–1960
Background information
Birth name	Willie Mae Thornton
Born	(1926-12-11)December 11, 1926 Ariton, Alabama, U.S.
Origin	Oakland, California
Died	July 25, 1984(1984-07-25) (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Rhythm and blues, Texas blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, drums, harmonica
Years active	1947–1984
Labels	Peacock, Arhoolie, Mercury, Pentagram, Backbeat, Vanguard, Ace
Associated acts	Muddy Waters Blues Band, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker

Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952, which became her biggest hit, staying seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1953 and selling almost two million copies. However, her success was overshadowed three years later, when Elvis Presley recorded his more popular rendition of "Hound Dog". Similarly, Thornton's "Ball 'n' Chain" (written in 1961 but not released until 1968) had a bigger impact when performed and recorded by Janis Joplin in the late 1960s.

Thornton's performances were characterized by her deep, powerful voice and strong sense of self. She tapped into a liberated black feminist persona, through which she freed herself from many of the expectations of musical, lyrical, and physical practice for black women. She was given her nickname, "Big Mama," by Frank Schiffman, the manager of Harlem's Apollo Theater, because of her strong voice, size, and personality. Thornton used her voice to its full potential, once stating that she was louder than any microphone and didn’t want a microphone to ever be as loud as she was. She was known for her strong voice. Joplin's biographer Alice Echols said that Thornton could sing in a "pretty voice" but did not want to. Thornton said, "My singing comes from my experience.…My own experience. I never had no one teach me nothin’. I never went to school for music or nothin’. I taught myself to sing and to blow harmonica and even to play drums by watchin’ other people! I can't read music, but I know what I'm singing! I don't sing like nobody but myself."

Her style was heavily influenced by gospel music, which she grew up listening to at the home of a preacher, though her genre could be described as blues. Thornton was quoted in a 1980 article in the New York TImes: "when I was comin' up, listening to Bessie Smith and all, they sung from their heart and soul and expressed themselves. That's why when I do a song by Jimmy Reed or somebody, I have my own way of singing it. Because I don't want to be Jimmy Reed, I want to be me. I like to put myself into whatever I'm doin' so I can feel it".

Thornton was famous for her transgressive gender expression. She often dressed as a man in her performances, wearing work shirts and slacks. She did not care about the opinions of others and "was openly gay and performed risque songs unabashedly." Improvisation was a notable part of her performance. She often entered call-and-response exchanges with her band, inserting confident and subversive remarks. Her play with gender and sexuality set the stage for later rock-and-roll artists' plays with sexuality.