Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.
She joined Sammy Green's "Hot Harlem Revue" and toured throughout the South in the 1940's, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state's growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter's energy onto record.
Her big hit came, not from Robey's capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was "Hound Dog," which she recorded in 1952 with the Johnny Otis band and released in February 1953. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama's growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.
Thornton continued to tour the "chitlin' circuit" as fans began to favour newer R&B sounds over blues. For some years, Big Mama suffered in obscurity like most of her fellow bluesmen. Her name gained wider prominence and her career enjoyed a significant resurgence as her song "Ball and Chain" was covered by Janis Joplin, making it a regular number in her repertoire. From that point onward, Thornton would remain a headliner at blues festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the country and even in Europe. She began recording again, and released albums for the Arhoolie, Mercury, and Vanguard labels. Years of hard drinking and living began to take their toll, however, and by the late 1970s her health (and her trademark girth) had declined greatly. She nevertheless performed until her death at the age of 57 on July 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, where she was found dead from natural causes in the boarding house room in which she had been living. Johnny Otis conducted her funeral services, and she was laid to rest in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Rock Me Baby
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
rock me all night long
rock me babe
hony rock me all night long
want you to rock me pretty babe
just like my back aint got no bone
roll me
honey like you do a wagon wheel
like you do a wagon wheel
I want you to rock and roll me
you dont know how good you make me feel
rock me just like you do a wagon wheel rock me babe like you do a wagon wheel
I want you to rock me babe rock me babe take your time rock me slow
The lyrics to Big Mama Thornton's song "Rock Me Baby" are a classic example of the Blues genre, where the words are often intensely personal and based around struggles with love, sex, and loneliness. The song is about a woman who wants her lover to satisfy her sexually and emotionally by rocking her all night long. She compares herself to a wagon wheel, saying she wants to be rolled and rocked just like a wagon wheel. She also says she wants to be "rocked slow," indicating that she wants her lover to take their time, ultimately revealing how important the act of being rocked is to her.
These lyrics suggest that the woman has strong sexual desires and needs that are not being met, and she needs her lover to fulfill those needs. The use of the word "rock" is significant here because it can be interpreted as both a physical and emotional action. The woman wants her lover to physically rock her, but also wants to feel emotionally supported and safe with them.
Line by Line Meaning
rock me babe baby
Please gently sway with me, my dear
rock me all night long
Continue our slow rocking motion throughout the night
rock me babe
Please maintain this comforting motion, my love
hony rock me all night long
Keep me in your arms and rock me tenderly till sunrise
want you to rock me pretty babe
I yearn to be cocooned in your embrace and rocked gently
just like my back aint got no bone
Sway me with such grace that I feel weightless as if there are no bones in my back
roll me
Gently move me from side to side like a rolling wagon wheel
honey like you do a wagon wheel
With the same amount of tenderness and consistency as a rotating wagon wheel
I want you to rock and roll me
Continue rocking and gently rolling me like you have been
you dont know how good you make me feel
I cannot express how much comfort and warmth your motion brings me
rock me just like you do a wagon wheel rock me babe like you do a wagon wheel
Please mimic the same tender yet constant motion as a moving wagon wheel while you comfortingly rock me
I want you to rock me babe rock me babe take your time rock me slow
Please continue rocking me slowly and carefully, taking your time to ensure my continuous comfort
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@richardwonboy3532
Big Mama Thornton is definitely one of the greatest blues singers of all time
@laurayarbrough4646
She had talent.
@Un-Known-X
She is slated to have been the start of rock n roll…
@davidholiday4494
What a woman!!!!
@sttadvertising2162
2020 baby
@dianne8929
Just discovered the BLUES recently. This song...... sung by Big Mamma.......OH MY!!!!!!! Just blew me away. Thanks for sharing!
@sheilabarron7206
Big Mama Thornton Isn't Playing She is Telling the Truth Who won't want their Baby to Rock Them Slow She is the Coolest Blues Woman
@tonispearman3235
One of the biggies female Blues singers of all times.
@theherbpuffer
Both physically and vocally
@garyesposito8982
Big Mama Thronton is the greatest! She gave it everything!