From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Dec 11, 2002  6:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Big Mama Thornton
 
BIG MAMA THORNTON (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Willie Mae Thornton, 11 December 1926, Montgomery, Alabama
Died 25 July 1984, Los Angeles, California

Born into a clerical family, Willie Mae Thornton's father was the minister
at the local church. Her mother died when she was still young. Never having
had any singing lessons, she cited Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Big
Maceo as her first encounter with the blues.
Willie Mae began her career by winning first prize at a local talent contest.
She left home and headed to Atlanta where she first got a job as a dancer
and comedienne at the "Snake's Variety Show" where she remembered
meeting other young wanna-be's such as Little Richard, Tommy Brown and
Chuck Willis. By the early 1940s, she had graduated to Sammy Green's
Hot Harlem Review, singing alongside with Billy Wright. In 1948, the group
stopped off in Houston, Texas, where Willie Mae decided to stay. Within a
year, she had cut her first record "Bad Luck Got My Man" as The Harlem
Stars for E&W.
She soon established herself on the Houston live circuit, first joining Joe
Fritz's band before being discovered by Don Robey who promptly signed
her to an exclusive five-year contract with his Peacock label. By early 1951,
she recorded her first sides, the first releases were "Mischievous Boogie"
(Peacock 1603), "Partnership Boogie" (Peacock 1567), but it was not until
"Let Your Tears Fall, Baby" that her records started to show some action.
During early 1952, Johnny Otis, while on tour in Houston, negotiated a deal
with Robey, resulting in all Robey's artists, including Willie Mae, being
recorded in Los Angeles with Otis' band. In August 1952, Willie Mae cut
eight sides in LA, including "Hound Dog", penned by a couple of young R&B
writers, Mike Stoller & Jerry Leiber who provided Otis with fresh material.
Robey released "Hound Dog" the following year, in 1953, and with its chart
success (# 1 R&B), Willie Mae joined the Blues Consolidated Package Show
which featured Johnny Ace, Junior Parker and Bobby Bland. Then, following
Johnny Ace's death, she joined Johnny Otis' band, touring coast to coast.
Further recordings were made to find a follow-up to "Hound Dog", and the
Leiber & Stoller - penned "I Smell A Rat" sold very well, but was also covered
successfully by Young Jessie on Modern. Another session took place in
Houston in 1955, with Roy Gaines on guitar. Her last record for Peacock
was "Just Like A Dog (Barking Up The Wrong Tree)" in 1956, but at that
time, the musical landscape had already changed, with some white kid
barking "Hound Dog" on the telly....
Leaving Peacock, Willie Mae first toured the West Coast with Gatemouth
Brown, eventually settling in the Bay Area, playing the small clubs around
Santa Cruz. By the early 1960s, she moved to Los Angeles, recording for
a host of small labels. In 1965, she appeared at the American Folk Blues
Festival and toured Europe. While in the UK, she recorded an LP "Big Mama
In Europe" for Arhoolie. She continued live work in the 60s and 70s, with
releases on small labels and LPs on Mercury and Vanguard.
Willie Mae Thornton passed away in LA in 1984, following health problems
due to excessive drinking.

Her original version of "Hound Dog" will always stay a big favourite, far
better than all the cover versions, and her work for Peacock is amongst
the best in the genre.

Recommended listening:
"The Original Hound Dog" ACE CDCHD 940