This Day in Black History: Dec. 11, 1926
Blues singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton born in Montgomery, Alabama.
By Britt Middleton
December 11, 2011 / 7:00 AM
<p>Blues singer <a target="_blank" href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/big-mama-thornton-p553">Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton</a> was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Her monster smash hit, ?Hound Dog,? which would be re-recorded by Elvis Presley, topped Billboard's R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953.</p>
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<p><i>(Photo: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)</i></p>