SINGER

Big Mama Thornton

1926 - 1984

Photo of Big Mama Thornton

Icon of person Big Mama Thornton

Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter of blues and R&B. The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul described Thornton by saying: "Her booming voice, sometimes 200-pound frame, and exuberant stage manner had audiences stomping their feet and shouting encouragement in R&B theaters from coast to coast from the early 1950s on". Thornton was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952, which was written for her. It became Thornton's biggest hit, selling over 500,000 copies and staying seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1953. According to New York University music professor Maureen Mahon, "the song is seen as an important beginning of rock-and-roll, especially in its use of the guitar as the key instrument". Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Big Mama Thornton is the 793rd most popular singer (down from 651st in 2019), the 4,655th most popular biography from United States (down from 3,472nd in 2019) and the 242nd most popular American Singer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Big Mama Thornton by language

Loading...

Among SINGERS

Among singers, Big Mama Thornton ranks 793 out of 4,381. Before her are Ingvar Wixell, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aram Tigran, Tommy Körberg, Martti Talvela, and Rodoljub Roki Vulović. After her are Sheila, Ofelya Hambardzumyan, Cedella Booker, Daniel Lavoie, Roberto Alagna, and Ronnie Spector.

Most Popular Singers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1926, Big Mama Thornton ranks 218. Before her are Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro, Pat Flaherty, Johanna Quandt, Ursula Happe, Ladislav Adamec, and Frank Finlay. After her are Emmanuel Wamala, Yitzhak Arad, Cedella Booker, Mickey Hargitay, Joseíto, and Jon Vickers. Among people deceased in 1984, Big Mama Thornton ranks 120. Before her are Titus Burckhardt, Matías González, Tim, Panteleimon Ponomarenko, Richard E. Bellman, and Kenneth Arnold. After her are Maximilian Fretter-Pico, Walter Pidgeon, Ken Armstrong, Fazıl Küçük, Blagoje Marjanović, and Uwe Johnson.

Others Born in 1926

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1984

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Big Mama Thornton ranks 4,655 out of 20,380. Before her are Robert Morris (1931), Andrew M. Gleason (1921), Dennis Haysbert (1954), R-Truth (1972), Joe Spinell (1936), and Eliza McCardle Johnson (1810). After her are John Paine (1870), George Clement Perkins (1839), The Big Bopper (1930), John Singleton Copley (1738), William J. Seymour (1870), and Ida Saxton McKinley (1847).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among SINGERS In United States

Among singers born in United States, Big Mama Thornton ranks 242. Before her are Judy Collins (1939), B. J. Thomas (1942), AJ McLean (1978), Adrian Belew (1949), Minnie Riperton (1947), and Dee Dee Bridgewater (1950). After her are Ronnie Spector (1943), Faith Hill (1967), Melanie Thornton (1967), Mike Love (1941), Jennifer Warnes (1947), and Lesley Gore (1946).

American born Singers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous