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.
everything gonna be alright
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sitting down on my knees
right here pretty good baby
oh sittin down on my knees
you know I wanna wishper to you baby
tell you what?"mean good me"?
I know I love you baby
I give you anything I got need
I ain't ...rock...
ohh gonna be alright
yes every its gonna be allright
because I need the one and the money
and cause everything its gonna be alright tonight
Everything its gonna be alright baby
i know because I feel it in my bones
Everything its gonna be alright baby
because I feel it in my bones
Hey hey hurry baby
i don't want you to leave me alone
(come on baby you got it)
love this song. Sry cant be more accurate. Help correct, thank you: D
"Everything Gonna Be Alright" by Big Mama Thornton is an uplifting and encouraging song about the power of love to overcome any obstacle. The opening lines, "Call me a Baby, sitting down on my knees, right here pretty good baby," set a humble and vulnerable tone, as if the singer is pleading for the attention and affection of her love interest. She declares her love and devotion, promising to do anything for that person. The repeated refrain, "everything gonna be alright," serves as a mantra and a reminder that no matter what challenges they face, they will get through it together.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of urgency and desperation, as she urges her love interest not to leave her alone. Yet, the underlying message is one of hope and faith in a better tomorrow. The use of the phrase "feel it in my bones" implies an intuition or gut feeling that things will work out, even if there is no logical reason to believe so. The song's bluesy and soulful sound adds to the emotional depth and sincerity of the lyrics.
Overall, "Everything Gonna Be Alright" is a simple but powerful love song that offers a message of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Call me a Baby
Address me affectionately as if I were a helpless child
sitting down on my knees
Assuming a humble and submissive posture to express devotion and supplication
right here pretty good baby
I am feeling great and content where I am with you, my love
oh sittin down on my knees
I am still in that submissive posture and still devoted to you
you know I wanna wishper to you baby
I want to confide something to you softly and privately
tell you what?"mean good me"?
I want to share my positive feelings and intentions for us
I know I love you baby
I am certain and confident that I love you deeply
you got my hearth and soul
You have captured and possess all of my emotions and deepest feelings
I give you anything I got need
I offer you all that I have and what you require without hesitation
I ain't ...rock...
I am not ashamed or fearful, I am strong and resilient
ohh gonna be alright
I am certain that everything is going to be okay
yes every its gonna be allright
I have a positive outlook and confidence that everything will be okay
because I need the one and the money
I am motivated by my love and needs to make things work out
and cause everything its gonna be alright tonight
I am confident that things will work out right now
Everything its gonna be alright baby
I assure you and reassure you that everything will be okay, my love
i know because I feel it in my bones
I have an instinctive feeling that everything will turn out well
Hey hey hurry baby
I am urging you to come with me and not to delay
i don't want you to leave me alone
I do not want to be separated from you, my love
(come on baby you got it)
I am encouraging and motivating you to continue and succeed
Contributed by Madison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@strawberries404
I'm black, and I like Led Zeppelin, too. Doesn't matter the color, music is good as long as the performer is talented, and talent comes in all colors. It doesn't matter which race originated what, music can still be original once a genre has been established.
@lawrencecarver3299
I'm not trying to offend but there is one RACE that is the HUMAN RACE.. With many colors of the rainbow. Before it was stolen by the ____________. I love all kinds of music.
@adonaiyah2196
Led zeppelin is essentially blues sped up
@richardj9016
@@adonaiyah2196 And slowed down, and the same speed.
@audhumbla6927
That is obvious to anyone. You think youre the only one who dont onöy listen to your own races music??? lol
@audhumbla6927
@@lawrencecarver3299 No there are human races we have very diffrent sculls depening on caucasoid/negroid/mongolid, and black people cant recieve organ donations from white people, etc. Denying facts is ignorant, dont do it.
@shakermoe1970
I love, love, love Big Mama. She is the reason I started playing the harmonica. She was soooooo way ahead of her time. Big, Loud and PROUD! xo
@whiskeymonk4085
What's your favorite key?
@ninalove3044
@@whiskeymonk4085 the one that opens up our deepest emotions..possibly
@kat1york
You got that right!!! Unfortunately, "still today" most people are ignorant. This is music!!! You don't go to see the performer, you go to LISTEN to them. That's what music is all about... <3