Cover illustration made with an AI image tool, chosen and framed by the editor.
A playlist for…
Big Mama Thornton, They Call Me Big Mama
She cut “Hound Dog” first, wrote “Ball and Chain” herself, and taught herself harmonica and drums. Her Peacock sides, then the albums that followed, through 1975. About an hour.
- Length
- 59 min
- Tracks
- 18
- Energy
- Lively
- Vocals
- With vocals
Songs with singing.
Listen on SpotifyPublished October 29, 2026
Elvis Presley’s version of “Hound Dog” sold ten million copies. Willie Mae Thornton recorded it first, in 1952, and Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote it for her. Her record went to No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1953. She said she received just one royalty check for it, for $500.
She was born in Alabama in 1926 and taught herself to sing, play harmonica and play drums. In 1950 she signed with Don Robey’s Peacock Records and recorded for the label until 1957. The first eight tracks here are from those years, starting with “Hound Dog” and including a track jointly credited to Johnny Ace.
The second half follows what came after. In 1965 she recorded her first album for Arhoolie in London, with Buddy Guy among the band. “Ball ’n’ Chain” is her own song, written in 1961; Janis Joplin asked her permission to cover it. Then come a track from Stronger Than Dirt, her 1969 album for Mercury, and three from Sassy Mama!, one of the two albums Vanguard released in 1975.
She died in Los Angeles in 1984, the year she entered the Blues Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted her in 2024, in the Musical Influence category. Start with the original “Hound Dog” and keep going.
Tracklist
Side A
- 01Hound DogBig Mama Thornton2:52
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote it for her, and she recorded it in 1952 while working with Johnny Otis, who played drums on the recording. Released in 1953, it held No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart for seven weeks. She said she received just one royalty check for it, for $500. [source]
- 02They Call Me Big MamaBig Mama Thornton2:05
- 03I Smell a RatBig Mama Thornton1:45
- 04Yes, BabyBig Mama Thornton with Johnny Ace2:53
- 05Stop A-Hoppin' on MeBig Mama Thornton2:29
- 06Rock-a-Bye BabyBig Mama Thornton2:38
- 07Hard TimesBig Mama Thornton2:13
- 08Just Like a Dog (Barking Up the Wrong Tree)Big Mama Thornton2:49
- 09Little Red RoosterBig Mama Thornton4:26
Our selection from her first Arhoolie album begins here. It was recorded in London on October 20, 1965, with Buddy Guy, Walter “Shakey” Horton, Eddie Boyd and Fred Below behind her. [source]
Side B
- 10Swing It on HomeBig Mama Thornton1:51
- 11Your Love Is Where It Ought to BeBig Mama Thornton3:50
- 12Session BluesBig Mama Thornton4:47
- 13Ball 'n' ChainBig Mama Thornton4:31
She wrote it in 1961. Janis Joplin and James Gurley asked her permission to cover it, and Big Brother and the Holding Company’s version came out on Cheap Thrills in 1968. This is hers. [source]
- 14Wade in the WaterBig Mama Thornton2:56
- 15Born Under a Bad SignBig Mama Thornton3:47
- 16Rolling StoneBig Mama Thornton4:42
From Sassy Mama!, one of her last two albums, both released by Vanguard in 1975. [source]
- 17Sassy MamaBig Mama Thornton4:56
- 18Everybody's Happy (But Me)Big Mama Thornton3:21
Total59 min
At a glance
- How long is the “Big Mama Thornton, They Call Me Big Mama” playlist?
- 59 minutes, 18 tracks, played in the order listed.
- Does it have singing?
- Songs with singing.
- Where can I listen to it?
- On Spotify, as a public playlist. Anyone can see the tracklist there, and playing it needs the Spotify app or web player.
- Who made it?
- It was picked, put in order and listened through by the editor at A Playlist For…. Software did not choose the songs.