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Big Mama Thornton
American blues singer (1926–1984)
Musical artist
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984),[1] was an American singer and songwriter of blues and R&B.
The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul described Thornton, 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".[2]
Thornton was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952,[3] which was written for her.
It became Thornton's biggest hit, selling over 500,000 copies and staying seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1953.[4] According to New York University music professor Maureen Mahon, "the song is seen as an important beginning of rock-and-roll, especially in its use of the guitar as the key instrument".[5]
Thornton's other recordin
