Black from the PastFeaturing Willie (Big Mama) Thornton

 


 




Welcome to another feature in our Black from the Past
segment. Today’s feature is Willie (Big Mama) Thornton, blues
singer and song writer from Montgomery, AL.


Quick Facts: 


 Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton’s career lasted from
the 1940s until the 1980s

 Earned the name “Big Mama” at the Apollo Theatre in
New York

Best known for her recording of Hound Dog released in
1953

Hound Dog topped the R & B charts selling 2 million
copies, but Big Mama was only paid $500

Elvis Presley recorded another version of Hound Dog 3
years later bringing him immeasurable fame and success

Died in 1984 at the age of 57

Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2020




Is this your first time hearing about Willie (Big Mama)
Thornton? Who should we highlight next in our Black from
the Past series?


Black from the Past is a segment of the Shades of Strong
podcast where we’re preserving and normalizing Black history
by shining a light of Black women who have made significant
contributions to the Black female culture but are often
forgotten.



[Source:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Big-Mama-Thornton]


[Link(s) Mentioned: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxoGvBQtjpM&feature=youtu.be]





 




Do you have a family member or know of someone you would like to
see us shine a light on?  Send us an email at
hi@shadesofstrong.com with the subject line Black
from the Past suggestion and we’ll do our best to make
it happen.


 



PREVIOUS BLACK FROM THE PAST FEATURES


Mary Eliza Mahoney
Phyllis Hyman
Margaret Garner