When asked what she thought of Elvis making $100M off of the song she only made $100 from a decade earlier, she said "At least I'm still around to spend my $100"
@@manfsntkane3000 No doubt! But that has to do with whatever record deal she had. It certainly isn't Elvis' or anyone else's (not directly involved in HER deal's) fault! For the record, I prefer her version of the song.
@@sjoncb What does that even mean? You DO know that Thorton neither wrote nor owned the song, yes? She merely recorded it, as did 249 OTHER artists, including Elvis. The song was written by two White guys. They were paid royalties for every record sold, by all 250 artists who recorded the song, because that's how it works, in the real world. If Thornton wasn't well compensated, that's between her and her record company. No one else.
The first live Blues performance I ever saw was Big Mama Thornton and her All Stars at a tiny dive bar in Boulder, Colorado. I was a young teenage runaway from Boston hiding out in an old Victorian house full of hippies. They called me Sam. One evening the ladies asked if I'd like to join them for a show downtown. I was nowhere near the legal drinking age. So they found a girl in another bar and asked to borrow her ID for me. She obliged. It wasn't easy passing for a woman 4 inches shorter and 10 years older than myself so the doorman said "You're under age. I'll let you in but you have to promise not to drink." I nodded. I hadn't ever had a drink before and wasn't interested in alcohol. I wanted the music. Boy, did I get the music! It was a quasi-spiritual experience. Marked me for life. And I love it. RIP Big Mama
That's an amazing memory, it is so amazing to witness history. I have too, and the best way to preserve history is to leave a written document, which you did. Good on you for never letting it be forgotten!
Write it all down while you can rember it clearly - time will come when you & others with want to read it 📖👍 check out P & P PRODUCTIONS Get Me Up 4,Workington and at Home Again, COMC Catch Up, Put The Kettle On Playlists
@@carolyn3797 There is a movie about Elvis as you know and there is a young woman who is singing this hit and she does it justice I hope she has enough screen time maybe she can get a Oscar Nomination for playing this forgotten heroine.
Everything in this video shows the true birth of rock and roll. You got Big Mama Thornton blowing up the mic and electric guitars ripping out licks. AWESOME!
Love Big Mama since I'm a little kid back in the 60s. The first time I heard Steve Marriott I thought it was Big Mama. Not comparing the two directly, but he's the closest little white kid that sang with a modicum of soul. Have hours of Big Mama on reel to reel and listen to her regularly --- so do my neighbors LOL.
In 2019, I played this song for my 4th Graders in Social Studies class. By the end of the hour, I "recruited" two young ladies to learn this song for our Black History Program -- and five boys to learn the guitar and drums. We sang this song in the hallways. It was a great day! Thank you, Big Mama Thornton!!
When I was a little boy I thought Elvis had recorded the song first because that was the song I always heard. My mother told me that it was Big mama Thornton who recorded in 1952. she had her record.
Back in those days, Black music/musicians could not get played on mainstream radio stations. Records made by Black Americans were called "Race Records" - everything was segregated. So, artists like Pat Boone, Elvis, Bill Haley would cover songs that had been recorded by Black artists, and that's how white audiences would be introduced to the song. It's great when you discover the original - although I think Haley and Elvis were terrific. (Pat Boone, not very exciting)
ELvis did not want to record it originally, but because he sang it Live - in his own way , the public wanted him to record it - RCA pressured ELvis - because of the public demand - he had to record it :) ... .... the Song was written by two white guys : Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller :) ..... ELvis made it about a hunting dog .... ELvis already was the biggest singing recording artist before he recorded his version .....Heartbreak Hotel / I want you , I need you, I Love you / and many other original hits before HOUND DOG and his Flip side did even better DON'T BE CRUEL the B side to Hound Dog :) .....there is plenty of room for both songs - to me they sound nothing alike , only have the same song title - ELvis should have gotten co-writer at least for his version - it is a Super Recording ..... I Like ELvis' & Thornton's versions of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller's song ........
Oh my goodness! I love this! I love Elvis’ rendition too. It was my very first favorite song. But, what toddler wouldn’t love a song about a hound dog? I’ve loved Elvis for as long as I can remember and have never heard this version before. I knew who Big Momma Thornton was. I love both versions.
Hound Dog" was originally recorded in a blues style by Big Mama Thornton in 1953. Her version was a #1 R&B hit and by far her biggest success. Like many blues musicians, she never made much money, but was a big influence on many singers who did. In 1968, Janis Joplin recorded a song Thornton wrote called "Ball and Chain," which appeared on several Joplin compilation albums after she died in 1970. Elvis' version of this song is based on how he heard it performed by a Texas group called Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys, who released the song on the Teen label in 1955. In April 1956, Elvis was booked for two weeks at The New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. One night, Elvis and his band explored the Vegas strip and landed at the Sahara, where Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys were performing in the lounge. When they performed their comedic version of "Hound Dog," Elvis was impressed and decided to do his own in a similar vein. Elvis used the same lyrics, which differed from the Big Mama Thornton original. In this approach to the song, Elvis is acting disappointed with his lover and repeating the lyrics, "Well, they said you was high-classed, but that was just a lie" six times. In Thornton's original, she sings the line twice as "You told me you was high class, but I can see through that." This was one of the first big hits for the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who were teenagers when they wrote it. Based on the success of "Hound Dog," Leiber and Stoller were hired to write many more songs for Elvis, as well as the score for his movie Jailhouse Rock (including the famous title song). Working for Elvis was very good for Leiber and Stoller, but they didn't like what he did with "Hound Dog." "It was nervous sounding," Leiber said in More Songwriters on Songwriting. "It didn't have that insinuation that Big Mama's record had." Stoller added, "It's something that really is sort of an imitation that never really turned out well."
The first record I ever bought was Elvis' rendition of "Hound Dog". I bought it at release and still have the 45. When I was a teenager I came across a copy of Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" and was blown away by her salacious interpretation. I still have it, it's the Peacock white label reissue from the 1960s.
@@Financethatworks you are correct in that Leiber and Stoller wrote it specifically for her. I was referring to accounts from Leiber and Stoller that says when they demo'd the song to her, she changed the tempo that gave it the signature salacious sound.
@@dougmacmillan1712 When given the song, BMT proceeded to sing it as a ballad. It was writer Leiber that prompted her how he hoped she would sing it, wanting it to be a gritty blues song...Big Mana was not amused but did as suggested and turned it into this brilliant blues shouter with her great growling vocals. ..It sold well and she deserved all the singing royalties due, but that was down to her record company.
@@SallysKobrah Yes he was Greek but you have to realize how Evil the Music Business was back then and Divided it was They are the ones who separated Music between Races if you noticed the Swampers were majority White but played Soul Music I'n Muscle Shoals but they wouldn't let the People know that just like Motown at first wouldnt put Black Artist Pictures on the Albums at First mostly the Teens didn't care they wanted to listen to So Called Race Music but it was the Corp's and Radio Stations and TV shows this is why Soul Train was Produced for the Fact that Racism was why White Groups would cover Blues and Rock and Roll such as Chuck Berry Little Richard Big Momma Thornton White stations thought the Music was too Black which is stupid it was just Coming from the Soul I mean Pat Boone Covering Good Golly miss Molly ? Come on how terrible was that Cover. It shouldn't have been the only way Music Recorded by Black Artist gets any play is only if it's played by A White Group Plus it was the Record Companies that made all the Money off the Music not the Artist they had to do shows to make money
Man she killed it!!! My God! And way back then, she was a power house…👏🏾 I can also hear her gospel roots. I wonder do she have any gospel songs on RU-vid?…🤔
I love that I’m not the only one here still admiring the amazing gift this woman bestowed while she was alive. This is CLASSIC! The epitome of real music.
No one compares? Her daughter Rosetta took it to another level, singing and playing guitar in her mom’s shows from the age of six! The famous rock guitarists of the 1960’s, like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Paige, Keith Richards and others claim their own playing styles were heavily influenced by her. Check out the opening to Rock Me by Sister Rosetta Tharpe (her stage name) Its just her and her guitar, no overdubbing, just real deal self accompaniment !
She was a blues singer - two white guys wrote this for her - they called her the best blues shouter in the south. Elvis sang it later and did a rockabilly version which the songwriters also liked but they liked BMT’s better bc of its origin - they said anger was at the root of both versions
I like the way how big Mama walk on stage with the bag while saying... I just want to let everybody know all about it....I grow up on entertainment... and i love every little piece of performance... sometimes part that other people don't even notice...does make me feel good....god i love entertainment.
For my ex . Enjoy . This version of the song hound dog was voted the most influential song to have come from the 1950s . In a survey done in Britain a few years ago The reason being it was the introduction to blues rock And it showed that women vocalists were able to sing about more than just pretty love songs . Buddy Guys a great guitarist
This song makes no sense when sung by a male vocalist. This is a song about a woman who has been wronged by her partner and should be sung by a powerful female vocalist. Big Momma certainly doesn't disappoint and her rendition is by far the best!
So many musicians who deserve the money but didn't get it but they loved playing the music anyway. Not sure if she got paid well for this. Looks like she did pretty well for herself when I see later videos, she deserved it. Love her powerful voice.
BIg mama/ and Buddy ---Good Golly Ms Molly!!!!! What a team. This is truly DOWN HOME BLUES. Big mama was so far from the mic and she was still awesome. The vocals - these young folks that sing today, don't know what this means:-)
Funny I am just an Aussie, but I watched this and just love it, gritty honest and with passion, love Elvis version as well, and I like to think they would both love me watching and enjoying this, loving music should be the first and foremost point not the fodder for other agenda's
I'm an Aussie too and married to an American and I would say Elvis would be applauding Mama Thornton's rendition. No need to introduce any competition here at all or political agenda's.
Love this music!!!!! I'm a child of the 50's and listened to All the famous artists, danced to Chuck Berry live...saw Fats Domino in concert...awesome. Still a Rock 'n Roll and Blues kid at 82! The Sandfiddler
Do you know how much black blues and rock n roll was stolen back then! by white artists w/o paying royalties? An astronomical amounmt Until a freaking lawsuit has to be filed. Elvis aint the king of Rock N Roll.. Little Richard and Chuck Barry are the two kings. Complete Originals.
@@randallallison865 i don’t think so…there’s not even rumors…when he was in Las Vegas Liberace did suggest that he should change the way he dressed when he performed…🤣
A great blues, written by two NYC Jewish guys, and covered by lots of folk, including the Great Big Mama; and the Great EP. So lots of different strains going on, as is usually case with our music.
She didn't trust anyone to watch her purse backstage. I saw her on Polk St in the late seventies. She was thin from cancer. When she came onstage someone yelled hey Big Mama. She said Who you callin big?
We hear a tiny part of this version in “A Few Good Men”. Thanks for sharing the full version. Praise be that there was visual recording of her performance. No messing around, just a pure delivery. Great entertainment and a glimpse of history at the same t8me.
Your right I’m not from the south and I prefer the Elvis version better not because of Elvis because I don’t necessarily like his songs. But I just how the music is faster and hits harder. If that makes sense
Love this!!! First time to hear this. I looked up the writers of hit songs back then. Awesome writers and melodies. I do love Elvis' version so much also, of course. Great job Big Mama!
@@johnnyrocker7495 ok revisionist. Firstly, her song came first. Second, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK LED TO ROCK MUSIC!?! The blues LED to rock music. And she is acknowledged as the inventor of rock and roll and was buried in history by white supremacy. So cry harder, Elvis didn't do shit except proudly profit of someone else's work
