Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton

 Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was born in December of 1926, in Montgomery, Alabama. Thornton was known primarily as an American rhythm and blues singer/song writer, but was also a self taught drummer and harmonica player. She was the writer and the first to record the hit, “Ball ’n’ Chain” and often overlooked was her very first hit, “Hound Dog” which topped the R&B Charts for seven weeks, and was later made popular on the Pop Charts by Elvis Presley. Thornton began her recording career in Houston, signing a recording contract with Peacock Records in 1951, and became a huge success in the 1960’s.