Big Mama Thornton Music
- Discography:
Big Mama Thornton
Artist Overview
A blues shouter in the tradition of Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton is best remembered as the first artist to record "Hound Dog." A side-by-side comparison of her version and Elvis's shows just how different a song can be in two great artists' hands: where Presley's version is all frenzy, Thornton's is pure R&B, gritty, haughty, and funky. Although she never matched the success of 1953's "Hound Dog," Thornton remained a popular live performer for the rest of her long career.
A blues shouter in the tradition of Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton is best remembered as the first artist to record "Hound Dog." A side-by-side comparison of her version and Elvis's shows just how different a song can be in two great artists' hands: where Presley's version is all frenzy, Thornton's is pure R&B, gritty, haughty, and funky. Although she never matched the success of 1953's "Hound Dog," Thornton remained a popular live performer for the rest of her long career.
