Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984) was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million copies. Three years later, Elvis Presley recorded his version, based on a version performed by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys.

Read more about Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton on Last.fm.


User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.