Willie Mae grew up to become the legendary Big Mama Thornton, whose vibrant growling voice on her song "Hound Dog" broke racial barriers. Sign up for our Newsletters.

Big Mama Thornton: Alabama Kid. Special | 56m 42s Video has Closed Captions | CC. A documentary featuring legendary blues singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Aired 01/23/2025 ...

Willie Mae, the matriarch of Creole cooking, lost everything in Katrina. Now the 91-year-old is frying drumsticks again, thanks to John Currence and other top Southern chefs. 04/21/2007 15:55 UTC ...

One of the greatest blues singers of all time, Alabama-born Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024.

The book is about Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton. In Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters, author Lynee Denise argues that Thornton’s life epitomizes the blues, but beyond that, the ...