“Hound Dog” co-writer Mike Stoller has refuted claims that Elvis Presley’s version of the classic rock’n’roll song was stolen from Big Mama Thornton. In an interview with Brain Hiatt for Rolling Stone ...

Made famous by Elvis Presley, the legendary song was first recorded by rhythm-and-blues singer Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton. Few people know it, but the date August 13 is a very significant date in ...

Shonka Dukureh, the singer and actor who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” was found dead in her Nashville, Tenn. apartment on Thursday, police confirmed. She was 44. According to ...

In a 1990 interview with Rolling Stone, songwriter Jerry Leiber said, “I had to write a song for her that basically said “Go f— yourself,” but how do you do it without actually saying it?” “Her” is ...

Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952, which ...

Singer and actor Shonka Dukureh, best known for playing Big Mama Thornton in the Baz Luhrmann film “Elvis,” is dead at 44. Shonka Dukureh sings “Hound Dog” as Big Mama Thornton in the film “Elvis.” ...

OZARK — Middle school students from Ozark and Dale County got a chance to hear the blues Wednesday at a program dedicated to local blues legend Big Mama Thornton. About 500 students from the Ozark ...

ELVIS star Shonka Dukureh has died suddenly at the age of 44. Dukureh, an actress, author and playwright, made her big screen debut just a month ago in Baz Luhrmann's biopic ELVIS. She portrayed Big ...