![]() Lynée Denise: I saw this video of one of her performances from 1970 and I was like who the hell is this? Who is this woman commanding the room, commanding the band with all this dignity, all this ruthless inner peace? And her name was Willie Mae Thornton. Henry: What sparked your interest in Willie Mae Thornton, and how did you come into this project? This interview has been edited for length and clarity.ĭaja E. In her forthcoming biography, “Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters,” Denise reintroduces Thornton as a performer who transcended genres and gender norms.įor Pride and Black Music Month, The 19th spoke with Denise, who dug deeper into Thornton’s story, her identity and her impact. Mentions of Thornton often hinge on that song, but Thornton is so much more than “the Elvis (Presley) moment,” scholar Lynnée Denise said. And it paid off: The song shot up the charts and sold between 500,000 and 750,000 copies.īut a few years later, her rendition would be eclipsed by another version, and the culprit would be dubbed the King of Rock and Roll. ![]() That was Thornton’s persona: a deliberate refusal to adhere to anyone else’s standards. She sang with a throaty growl and howled ad-libs. When Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton recorded her bluesy hit song “Hound Dog” in 1952, she did it her way. And Black, queer musicians have been there all the way. From gospel to country, from jazz to the blues, from hip-hop to rock and roll, traces of Black entertainers can be found at the roots of many genres. īlack musical traditions, originating in Africa and remixed in the many places Africans were distributed, have left their mark on music worldwide. What do you want to know about LGBTQ+ issues? We want to hear from you, our readers, about what we should be reporting and how we can serve you.
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