Willie Mae Thornton
Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 - July 25, 1984) was an American R&B and blues singer, best-known for her hit song Hound Dog (1953).
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, Thornton 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.[1]
In the early 1960s, Thornton 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.[2]
Frank Zappa and Willie Mae Thornton
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 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). [3]
The Mothers Of Invention perform Hound Dog on 'Tis The Season To Be Jelly.
