Big Mama THORNTON - With The Muddy Waters Blues Band 1966

Big Mama THORNTON - With The Muddy Waters Blues Band 1966

Blues

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.
By Al Campbell. AMG.
**
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton only notched one national hit in her lifetime, but it was a true monster. "Hound Dog" held down the top slot on Billboard's R&B charts for seven long weeks in 1953. Alas, Elvis Presley's rocking 1956 cover was even bigger, effectively obscuring Thornton's chief claim to immortality.

That's a damned shame, because Thornton's menacing growl was indeed something special. The hefty belter first opened her pipes in church but soon embraced the blues. She toured with Sammy Green's Hot Harlem Revue during the 1940s. Thornton was ensconced on the Houston circuit when Peacock Records boss Don Robey signed her in 1951. She debuted on Peacock with "Partnership Blues" that year, backed by trumpeter Joe Scott's band.

But it was her third Peacock date with Johnny Otis's band that proved the winner. With Pete Lewis laying down some truly nasty guitar behind her, Big Mama shouted "Hound Dog," a tune whose authorship remains a bone of contention to this day (both Otis and the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller claim responsibility) and soon hit the road a star.

But it was an isolated incident. Though Thornton cut some fine Peacock follow-ups -- "I Smell a Rat," "Stop Hoppin' on Me," "The Fish," "Just like a Dog" -- through 1957, she never again reached the hit parade. Even Elvis was apparently unaware of her; he was handed "Hound Dog" by Freddie Bell, a Vegas lounge rocker. Early-'60s 45s for Irma, Bay-Tone, Kent, and Sotoplay did little to revive her sagging fortunes, but a series of dates for Arhoolie that included her first vinyl rendition of "Ball and Chain" in 1968 and two albums for Mercury in 1969-70 put her back in circulation (Janis Joplin's overwrought but well-intentioned cover of "Ball and Chain" didn't hurt either). Along with her imposing vocals, Thornton began to emphasize her harmonica skills during the 1960s.

Thornton was a tough cookie. She dressed like a man and took no guff from anyone, even as the pounds fell off her once-ample frame and she became downright scrawny during the last years of her life. Medical personnel found her lifeless body in an L.A. rooming house in 1984.
By Bill Dahl. AMG. 
**
Muddy Waters- Guitar
Otis Spann- Piano
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson- Bass
Francis Clay- Drums
Sammy Lawhorn. Guitar
James Cotton- Harmonica
Big Mama Thornton- Harmonica,Drums, Vocals.
**
01. I’m Feeling Alright [3:02]
02. Sometimes I Have A Heartache [3:49]
03. Black Rat (take 4) [2:53]
04. Life Goes On [3:28]
05. Everything Gonna Be Alright [5:06]
06. Big Mama’s Bumble Bee Blues [4:13]
07. Gimme A Penny (take 6) [4:38]
08. Looking The World Over [2:13]
09. I Feel The Way I Feel [5:05]
10. Guide Me Home [4:23]
11. Black Rat (take 2) [2:52]
12. Wrapped Tight [3:19]
13. Gimme A Penny (take 5) [4:00]
14. Big Mama’s Shuffle [3:38]
15. Since I Fell For You [4:33]
16. I’m Feeling Alright (fast version) [2:28]
17. Big Mama’s Blues (My Love) [4:08]
**
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Big Mama THORNTON - Jail (LIVE) 1975

Big Mama THORNTON - Jail (LIVE) 1975
Recorded at Monroe State Prison, Monroe, Washington and Oregon State Reformatory, Eugene, Oregon.

Blues

It's ironic that blues great Big Mama Thornton is most famous for originating songs that later became associated with other singers. Her sole R&B hit, which never made the pop charts, became Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" in most listeners' minds, just as surely as Otis Redding's "Respect" was universally credited to Aretha Franklin. It must have seemed like déjà vu when Thornton's "Ball and Chain" became known to most music lovers via Janis Joplin's version with Big Brother & the Holding Company. Nevertheless, Thornton has rarely had trouble reclaiming these and other compositions once onstage, and Jail vividly captures her gruff charm during a couple of mid-'70s gigs at two northwestern prisons. As a live album, Jail works largely because Thornton gives her musicians plenty of room to improvise, especially on six-minute versions of "Little Red Rooster" and "Ball and Chain." In her spoken introduction to "Ball and Chain," Thornton initially gives props to Janis Joplin, then reminds the audience, "I wrote this song." Having lost little of her commanding, masculine voice, Thornton becomes the talented leader of a gritty blues ensemble that features sustained jams from George "Harmonica" Smith and guitarists B. Huston and Steve Wachsman. Despite several lengthy numbers, the running time is less than 40 minutes, and there's not much between-song banter à la Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. Listeners who are left wanting more Big Mama Thornton can invest in The Complete Vanguard Recordings, a triple-CD set that includes all of Jail and two albums from the same era: Sassy Mama and the previously unreleased Big Mama Swings.
By Vince Ripol. AMG.
**
Big Mama Thornton- (Vocals),
B. Huston, Steve Wachsman- (Guitars),
Bill Potter- (Tenor Sax),
George "Harmonica" Smith- (Harmonica),
J.D. Nichols- (Piano),
Bruce Sieverson- (Bass),
Todd Nelson- (Drums).
**
01. Little Red Rooster Studio 6:03
02. Ball and Chain Studio 6:40
03. Jail Studio 5:50
04. Hound Dog Studio 2:45
05. Rock Me Baby Studio 6:41
06. Sheriff O. E. & Me Studio 3:20
07. Oh Happy Day Studio 3:52
**
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Big Mama THORNTON - The Original Hound Dog 1990

Big Mama THORNTON - The Original Hound Dog  1990  

Blues

Big Mama Thornton boasted one of the most electrifying voices in the history of recorded music, and this CD is the perfect introduction. Hound Dog - The Peacock Recordings is cheaper easier to find, but this collection has seventeen of Hound Dog's eighteen tracks plus five more essential ones.
Tracks such as Hound Dog, I Ain't a Fool Either and I Smell a Rat show off Big Mama's marvelously fierce, attitudinal side. She was probably the one 50s singer as fiery as Howlin' Wolf, and her work predicts all of the "Angry Woman" singers of the past several decades. Nightmare and How Come reveal an aching vulnerability. I can't recommend this CD any higher. Big Mama deserves to be far better known than she is.
By  Michael Russell.
**
This British import compilation of Peacock sides is a bit more comprehensive than the domestic Hound Dog anthology, including a few more tracks (22 in all, some previously unreleased). The MCA collection, more readily available for most North American consumers, should suffice for most listeners. If you come across this one first, though, it's certainly an equal or greater value, highlighted by "Hound Dog" and "I Smell a Rat" (both written by the Leiber-Stoller songwriting team in their early days).
By Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide.
**
Yes, Big Mama sang the original Hound Dog well before Elvis made it a classic rock and roll hit. Yes, he went on to make millions (although not off of that song as such but as a fresh sex symbol at a time when the youth of my generation were in desperate need of our own icons) while she made about five hundred dollars off of it. But that is not the whole story. Big Mama had a career of her own beyond that song that while not as financially rewarding (due in part to race but also her drinking problem) as Elvis's nevertheless placed her in the pantheon of female blue singers like Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie- no little accomplishment in itself. That is what is being celebrated here. Other classics in this CD include How Come, Nightmare, They Call Me Big Mama and I Smell a Rat. Is this her best compilation. No, I believe that Ball and Chain is but this has a nice selection. Big Mama belts out the tunes but, as a rule, does not try to overpower them with that big voice. But big or small Mama means the electric blues raw and unchained and that ain't no lie.
By  Alfred Johnson.
**
01. Hound Dog 2:52
02. Walking Blues 3:01
03. My Man Called Me 2:39
04. Cotton Picking Blues 2:49
05. Willie Mae's Trouble 2:42
06. The Big Change 2:44
07. I Smell a Rat 1:43
08. I Just Can't Help Myself 2:56
09. They Call Me Big Mama 2:05
10. Hard Times 2:14
11. I Ain't No Fool Either 2:22
12. You Don't Move Me No More 2:44
13. Let Your Tears Fall Baby 2:47
14. I've Searched The World Over 2:38
15. Rock-A-Bye Baby 2:36
16. How Come 2:36
17. Nightmare 2:53
18. Stop A-Hoppin' on Me 2:27
19. Laugh, Laugh, Laugh 2:44
20. Just Like A Dog 2:47
21. The Fish 2:43
22. Mischievous Boogie 2:31
**
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Big Mama THORNTON & Chicago All Stars & Muddy Water’s Blues Band 1965-1966

Big Mama THORNTON & Chicago All Stars & Muddy Water’s Blues Band 1965-1966
(2Cds)
Label: Arhoolie Records
Audio CD: (August 3, 2004)

Blues

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.
By Al Campbell, All Music Guide.
**
IN EUROPE - 1965
Recorded in London, October 20, 1965.

Big Mama Thornton- Vocals, Harmonica on tracks 8 & 9 and Drums on track 9 & 10
Shakey Horton- Harmonica on tracks 4, 5, 8 & 10
Eddie Boyd- Piano & Organ
Buddy Guy- Guitar
Jimmy Lee Robinson- Bass
Fred Below- Drums
Fred McDowell- Guitar on track 6 & 7
**
01. Swing It On Home
02. Sweet Little Angel
03. Little Red Rooster
04. Unlucky Girl
05. Hound Dog
06. My Heavy Road
07. School Boy
08. Down-Home Shakedown
09. Your Love Is Where It Ought To Be
10. Session Blues
**
With Muddy Water’s Blues Band - 1966
Recorded in San Francisco, April 25, 1966

Big Mama Thornton- Vocals and Drums on track 15
James Cotton- Harmonica
Muddy Waters- Guitar
Sammy Lowhom- Guitar
Luther Johnson- Bass
Francis Clay- Drums
**
11. I’m Feeling Alright
12. Sometimes I Have A Heartache
13. Black Rat
14. Life Goes On
15. Everything Gonna Be Alright
16. Bumble Bee
17. Looking The World Over
18. I Feel The Way I Feel
19. My Love
**
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Big Mama THORNTON - The Rising Sun Collection 1994

Big Mama THORNTON - The Rising Sun Collection 1994
Label: Just a Memory

Blues

Sassy Mama is a reissue of Big Mama Thornton's Rising Sun Collection, which was first issued on CD in 1994 and shouldn't be confused with Vanguard's 1975 studio album by Big Mama of the same name. These tracks find Big Mama on foreign soil with a good band behind her, playing for the Euros in 1977. With Phil Guy and John Primer on guitar, and Johnny "Big Moose" Walker on piano, the band is truly kicking behind her as Willie Mae stretches out the tunes to a comfortable length. The tunes are old standards like "Rock Me Baby," "Summertime," "Sweet Little Angel," and the inevitable "Ball and Chain," as well as the "Hound Dog/Walkin' the Dog" medley. Justin-Time's 2005 reissue has been digitally remastered with different cover art, and the track "Spoonful" is now listed as "Tell Me Pretty Baby."
By Cub Koda & Al Campbell, All Music Guide.
**
Big Mama Thornton- (Harmonica, Vocals), 
John Primer- (Guitar), 
Johnny Big Moose Walker- (Piano),
J.W. Williams- (Bass).
**
01. Spoonful    5:30 
02. Rock Me Baby    6:43 
03. Ball And Chain    7:13 
04. Watermelon Man    4:30 
05. Summertime    6:32  254 
06. Medley: Hound Dog/Walkin' The Dog    4:11 
07. Sweet Little Angel    5:29 
08. Sassy Mama    4:53 
**
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