Why Willie Mae Thornton matters
(Book - Regular Print)
Author
Published
Austin : University of Texas Press, 2023.
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
207 pages ; 21 cm.
Status
More Details
Published
Austin : University of Texas Press, 2023.
Format
Book - Regular Print
Edition
First edition.
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-207).
Description
"Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton is best-known for two songs covered by white rock 'n' roll stars (Elvis Presley, "Hound Dog"; Janis Joplin, "Ball 'n' Chain") but she is unquestionably one of the great blueswomen of her generation. She embodies some of the clichés of the blues, too: Born in the South, raised in the church, appropriated by white performers, hard drinking, relatively early death, big nickname, buried in an indigent's grave. Lynnée Denise's Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters pushes past the stereotype to explore what she means to a young, Black, queer DJ of today who considers her an important musical "ancestor in my line of work." The chapters in this book are thematic, but there's a chronology underlying them that keeps readers oriented. The first chapter, for instance, works with a concept of "mothering," and covers Thornton's upbringing. Subsequent chapters explore how Thornton was shaped by growing up in the Black belt of Alabama, how her discography is evidence of her artistic range, how her touring (and relocating to Houston and Los Angeles) created musical migrations, how her musical collaborators shaped her and how she shaped them, Alice Walker's short story "1955," (which imagines Thornton and Elvis Presley meeting one another), how her success on the chitlin' circuit undermines the perception of that space as anti-queer, her on-stage improvisation as key to her lyricism, her gospel album, and her legacy"--,Provided by publisher.
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Prescott Public Library - MLNEW - Adult New Books | 782.421643 THORNTON | Checked Out |
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Denise, L. (2023). Why Willie Mae Thornton matters (First edition.). University of Texas Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Denise, Lynnée. 2023. Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters. University of Texas Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Denise, Lynnée. Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters University of Texas Press, 2023.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Denise, Lynnée. Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters First edition., University of Texas Press, 2023.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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