Thornton, Willie Mae Big Mama
(1926–1984)> SINGER
Thornton, Willie Mae Big Mama 11 December 1926; Montgomery, AL – 25 July 1984; Los Angeles, CA Singer. As intimidating a figure as any in the blues, Big Mama Thornton more than lived up to her name in both size and attitude. A large and confrontational woman who dressed like a man, Thornton had a wide-ranging career, but she is most remembered for recording two signature songs, one a part of the 1950s rise of rock and the other in its late 1960s psychedelic explosion, that became modern…