In the mid- '60s, Big Mama Thornton was a relatively obscure blues singer known mainly for her original recording of "Hound Dog" in 1953, three years before Elvis had a monster hit with it. Due to a lack of gigs, Thornton had a tough time keeping a steady band on the road and would scramble to gather consistently decent musicians. Fortunately, Arhoolie Records' founder and president Chris Strachwitz had witnessed an amazing performance of the era which had Thornton backed by a group of Chicago musicians who included Buddy Guy on guitar. With that performance in mind, Strachwitz was determined to capture that excellence in the studio. He offered the gig to Muddy Waters, whom he met in San Francisco a few days prior to this session. Muddy accepted and brought with him James Cotton (harmonica), Otis Spann (piano), Sammy Lawhorn (guitar), Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (bass), and Francis Clay (drums). What came out at Coast Recorders on April 25, 1966 is presented on this 17-track disc including seven previously unreleased cuts. From the low-down gutbucket blues of "Black Rat," and "Big Mama's Shuffle" (featuring both Thornton and James Cotton engaging in a battle of the harps), to the hazy, late-night atmosphere of "Life Goes On," "Since I Fell for You," and "I Feel the Way I Feel," all of this material is absolutely timeless. One can only imagine what would have happened if Big Mama's hopes of recording a gospel album with this band had been fulfilled.
Bridging the gap between seminal originators like Bessie Smith and later-era blues divas like Koko Taylor, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton enjoyed a long illustrious career spanning four decades. Blessed with a powerfully pure and melodious voice and an equally strong personality, Thornton would have a profound influence that stretched far beyond the blues community. A self-taught drummer, harmonica player, and songwriter, Thornton was that rare triple threat who could play, sing, and write, and whose talents became a magnet for many of the greatest blues musicians of the era. The likes of Muddy Waters and his band, Lightnin' Hopkins and Buddy Guy all served to enhance the music of Big Mama Thornton, both in the studio and on stage. Her recordings and the blues phraseology of her singing style, which could be strong and sexy one minute and unequivocally delicate the next, would inspire nearly everyone that encountered her music, including the greatest of her black contemporaries, like the aforementioned Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins to subsequent generations of white superstars like Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin.
Big Mama Thornton With The Muddy Waters Blues Band
In 1948, Thornton relocated to Houston, Texas. Three years later she began her recording career, signing with the Houston-based Peacock Records in 1951, a label specializing in gritty rhythm and blues and gospel recordings that would have a significant influence on soul and rock & roll music in the decades to follow. The following year (1952), Thornton joined label mate and bandleader Johnny Otis' traveling revue and played at New York City's famed Apollo Theatre, where she began as the opening act for R&B artists Esther Phillips and Mel Walker. Her undeniable charisma and vocal prowess soon had her advancing to headliner status and it was during this stint that she first earned the nickname "Big Mama."
Following some more humorous stage banter that gives listeners a glimpse of Thornton's strong personality, in which she declares, "This is the record I made Elvis Presley rich on," Thornton and band kick into "Hound Dog." Considerably more gritty and arguably more compelling than Presley's take on the song, Thornton's version is an altogether more smoldering affair. Although distinctly blues-based, the roots of rock music are clearly embedded in her arrangement. With limited stage time due to the nature of the festival performance, the final song of the set is a bit of an anti-climactic listen, but nonetheless proves that Thornton and band could swing with the best of them. This extended romp through "Swing It On Home" starts out as a great example of the tight musical relationship of Thornton and these incredible musicians, with its sharp stops and starts during the verses and it's swinging abandon on the choruses. Midway, Thornton takes over on drums, and while her solo is sloppy and eventually dissolves completely, she is no doubt having a lot of fun on stage and the crowd responds in kind. With the audience howling to keep it going, the group does just that, vamping on the song for an additional four minutes while Thornton struts around the stage whipping the Newport audience into a frenzy. 2ff7e9595c
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