|
||
|
Home Page Heroes Main Page Civil Rights....Civil Wrongs Food For Thought Speeches, Writing And Thoughts Black Sports In Alabama Links My Resume Contact Us Support thatsalabama.com |
WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON 
Willie Mae Thornton was a blues singer, who was born in Montgomery on December 11,1926, as one of seven children. She earned the nickname "Big Mama" because of her formidable size, she was six feet tall and weighed in excess of 350 pounds. She had a very religious upbringing, her father was a minister and her mother sang in the church. As well as her singing abilities, Willie Mae also taught herself to play the drum and harmonica.
She was invited to join the Georgia based "Hot Harlem Revue", after she won an amateur singing contest, and at the age of fourteen, she left home to begin her singing career. She toured with the group for seven years, and in 1948, while they were on tour in Texas, she left them to perform on her own in Houston's growing club scene. In 1951 she was signed by Peacock Records, and in 1953, she recorded her biggest hit, a song that was written for her by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, "Hound Dog". The song went to number one in the Billboard Rhythm and Blues Chart for nine weeks. Unfortunately for her, her major claim to musical immortality was overshadowed by Elvis Presley's cover version in 1956. To add insult to injury, Thornton only received a one off payment of $500 for her recording. Her career began to fade in the early 1960's, and she moved to San Francisco in an effort to regain success. Her fortunes received a boost when Janis Joplin recorded a cover of her song "Ball and Chain". She continued to tour and would often headline blues festivals, she also began to record again and made two albums for Mercury Records. In the late 70s, the years of hard drinking had began to take their toll and her health started to deteriorate. She still continued to perform, but on July 25, 1984, she was found dead from a heart attack in the boarding house in which she had been living. Links To Other Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton Internet Resources: The African American Registry - Big Mama Thornton, the blues and more!. VH1 - Big Mama Thornton. FemmeNoir - Big Mama Thornton. Wikipedia - Big Mama Thornton. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
|
Email webmaster@thatsalabama.com