Willie Mae Thornton - Revision history

Spider of Destiny at 19:23, 26 June 2026

2026-06-26T19:23:11Z

Spider of Destiny at 20:37, 11 June 2026

2026-06-11T20:37:22Z

Spider of Destiny at 19:12, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T19:12:35Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 21:35, 8 August 2023

2023-08-08T21:35:50Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 14:49, 26 August 2021

2021-08-26T14:49:48Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 21:37, 22 July 2021

2021-07-22T21:37:33Z

Spider of Destiny at 09:30, 23 September 2020

2020-09-23T09:30:15Z

PopFanDoug: Monterey, audio

2018-05-17T19:52:34Z

Monterey, audio

Spider of Destiny at 02:48, 26 August 2014

2014-08-26T02:48:17Z

Spider of Destiny at 02:47, 26 August 2014

2014-08-26T02:47:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:23, 26 June 2026
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	[[Category:Favorite Doo-wop and R&B Artists\|Thornton, Willie Mae]]		[[Category:Favorite Doo-wop and R&B Artists\|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
	[[Category:Influences\|Thornton, Willie Mae]]		[[Category:Influences\|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
		+	[[Category:Musicians covered by Frank Zappa\|Thornton, Willie Mae]]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 [[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
 [[Category:We're Only In It For the Money (The List)|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
-[[Category:Favorite Artists|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
+[[Category:Favorite Blues singers|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
 [[Category:Influences|Thornton, Willie Mae]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]]]
+[[File:Willie Mae Thornton.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Big Mama Thornton]]
-Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.
+==Biography==
 One of seven children born into a musical family - father a church minister and mother leading the choir.  During the 1940s sang with a touring show where her height and forceful vocals brought her to the attention of Don Robey while performing at one of his clubs and he signed her to his Peacock Record label.
-In 1953 while working as vocalist with the [[Johnny Otis]] band at Peacock she recorded a song Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had written for her. [[Hound Dog]] was a huge hit topping the charts for three weeks. Both Thornton and Otis would later claim credit for the creation of the song. [[Elvis Presley]] also scored a huge hit with the song.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19754/m1 Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies.]</ref>
+In 1953 while working as vocalist with the [[Johnny Otis]] band at Peacock, Thornton recorded a song [[Leiber and Stoller|Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]] had written for her. ''[[Hound Dog]]'' was a huge hit topping the charts for three weeks. Both Thornton and Otis would later claim credit for the creation of the song. [[Elvis Presley]] also scored a huge hit with the song.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19754/m1 Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies.]</ref>
-In the early 1960's she moved to San Francisco and continued to work the clubs along the west coast.  [[Janis Joplin]] introduced her to a new generation by recording Thornton's "Ball And Chain", which Joplin sang at the 1967 [[Monterey|Monterey Pop Festival]] as part of Big Brother and the Holding Company.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19815/m1/#track/3 Show 47 - Sergeant Pepper at the Summit: The very best of a very good year.]</ref>
+Frank Zappa listed Willie Mae Thornton in the sleeve of ''[[Freak Out!]]'' (1966) under the heading: ''"These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them"''.
-She is name-checked on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and is pictured in the collage on the [[We're Only In It For The Money]] cover. <ref>[http://donlope.net/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>
+She is also pictured in the collage on the ''[[We're Only In It For The Money]]'' cover (some people have incorrectly confused her image with [[James Brown]]). <ref>[http://donlope.net/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>
 The Mothers Of Invention perform ''[[Hound Dog]]'' on [['Tis The Season To Be Jelly]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]]]
-[[Willie Mae Thornton|Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton]] (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.
+Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.
 One of seven children born into a musical family - father a church minister and mother leading the choir.  During the 1940s sang with a touring show where her height and forceful vocals brought her to the attention of Don Robey while performing at one of his clubs and he signed her to his Peacock Record label.
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 In 1953 while working as vocalist with the [[Johnny Otis]] band at Peacock she recorded a song Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had written for her. [[Hound Dog]] was a huge hit topping the charts for three weeks. Both Thornton and Otis would later claim credit for the creation of the song. [[Elvis Presley]] also scored a huge hit with the song.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19754/m1 Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies.]</ref>
-In the early 1960's she moved to San Francisco and continued to work the clubs along the west coast.  [[Janis Joplin]] introduced her to a new generation by recording Thornton's "Ball And Chain", which Joplin sang at the 1967 [[Monterey Pop Festival]] as part of Big Brother and the Holding Company.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19815/m1/#track/3 Show 47 - Sergeant Pepper at the Summit: The very best of a very good year.]</ref>
+In the early 1960's she moved to San Francisco and continued to work the clubs along the west coast.  [[Janis Joplin]] introduced her to a new generation by recording Thornton's "Ball And Chain", which Joplin sang at the 1967 [[Monterey|Monterey Pop Festival]] as part of Big Brother and the Holding Company.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19815/m1/#track/3 Show 47 - Sergeant Pepper at the Summit: The very best of a very good year.]</ref>
 She is name-checked on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and is pictured in the collage on the [[We're Only In It For The Money]] cover. <ref>[http://donlope.net/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 In the early 1960's she moved to San Francisco and continued to work the clubs along the west coast.  [[Janis Joplin]] introduced her to a new generation by recording Thornton's "Ball And Chain", which Joplin sang at the 1967 [[Monterey Pop Festival]] as part of Big Brother and the Holding Company.<ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19815/m1/#track/3 Show 47 - Sergeant Pepper at the Summit: The very best of a very good year.]</ref>
-She is name-checked on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and is pictured in the collage on the [[We're Only In It For The Money]] cover. <ref>[http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>
+She is name-checked on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and is pictured in the collage on the [[We're Only In It For The Money]] cover. <ref>[http://donlope.net/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>
 The Mothers Of Invention perform ''[[Hound Dog]]'' on [['Tis The Season To Be Jelly]].

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 She is name-checked on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] and is pictured in the collage on the [[We're Only In It For The Money]] cover. <ref>[http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/notes/We%27re_Only_In_It_For_The_Money_Cover.html We're Only In It For The Money Cover Art]</ref>
-The Mothers Of Invention perform [[Hound Dog]] on [['Tis The Season To Be Jelly]].
+The Mothers Of Invention perform ''[[Hound Dog]]'' on [['Tis The Season To Be Jelly]].
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 [[Category:Blues singers|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
 [[Category:Doo-wop and R&B Artists|Thornton, Willie Mae]]
 [[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Thornton, Willie Mae]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:48, 26 August 2014
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	[[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|right\|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]	+	[[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|right\|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]]]

	[[Willie Mae Thornton\|Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton]] (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.		[[Willie Mae Thornton\|Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton]] (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:47, 26 August 2014
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	[[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|~~lright~~\|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]]]	+	[[File:Big_Mama_Thornton.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|right\|Big Mama Thornton featured on the album cover of [[We're Only In It For The Money]]

	[[Willie Mae Thornton\|Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton]] (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.		[[Willie Mae Thornton\|Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton]] (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer.