Big Mama Thornton
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.
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Albums
- (2007) Vanguard Visionaries
- (2007) Jail
- (2000) The Complete Vanguard Recordings
- (1992) Hound Dog / The Peacock Recordings
- (1991) Sassy Mama!
Top Tracks
- Hound Dog
- They Call Me Big Mama
- Walking Blues
- Just Like a Dog, Barking Up the Wrong Tree
- I Smell a Rat
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