Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton outperformed the men of her day on stage, her larger-than-life personality and stature (she stood nearly 6-feet tall), commanding, or perhaps demanding, the ...

These are questions and themes tackled in Preston Lauterbach’s new book, “Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who ...

“I just like to sing my soul,” Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton, is heard to say in a new documentary being presented by Alabama Public Television. “I can’t sing nobo ...

He was talking about Big Mama Thornton, a blues musician who was raised just minutes from that bus station. Thornton was known for her hit single Hound Dog, which was then recorded by Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" was a hit when released in 1956. But the original was recorded several years earlier by Big Mama ...

Remembering Peggy Lee's version of "Is That All There Is?" Mike Stoller said: "Peggy's is really the essential version of ...

The book highlights R&B performers like Little Junior Parker, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup.

There is no denying the influence of black culture in America. While “the culture” is celebrated all year, February is a time to highlight its powerful impact on American history and the popular ...

Music is the most cannibalistic creative endeavor, with musicians not only drawing inspiration from predecessors and contemporaries, but often imitating specific techniques, stealing catchy riffs or ...