Willie Mae

E1019847

Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an influential American blues singer and songwriter best known for her powerful voice and for first recording the classic song "Hound Dog."

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Label Occurrences
Willie Mae canonical 1

Statements (40)

Predicate Object
instanceOf American musician
blues singer
human
songwriter
activeIn 20th-century music
artisticIdentity blues shouter
associatedWith American blues tradition
rhythm and blues scene
countryOfCitizenship United States of America
culturalImpact helped popularize the song "Hound Dog"
influential figure for women in blues
familyName Thornton NERFINISHED
fieldOfWork music
songwriting
genre blues
rhythm and blues
givenName Willie Mae NERFINISHED
influenced Elvis Presley NERFINISHED
Janis Joplin NERFINISHED
contemporary blues singers
instrument vocals
knownFor first recording of the song "Hound Dog"
powerful voice
languageOfPerformance English
musicStyle West Coast blues NERFINISHED
electric blues
nickname Big Mama NERFINISHED
notableRole pioneering female blues performer
notableWork Ball and Chain NERFINISHED
Hound Dog NERFINISHED
occupation singer
songwriter
performedSong Ball and Chain NERFINISHED
Hound Dog NERFINISHED
recordLabel Arhoolie Records NERFINISHED
Mercury Records
Peacock Records NERFINISHED
vocalCharacteristic emotive delivery
raspy tone
vocalType contralto

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Big Mama Thornton givenName Willie Mae