The Ballad of Big Mama Thornton

The story begins on the same day that it ends; April 14th, 1984, the date of Big Mama Thornton’s last ever live performance, where Big Mama, 57 going on 77, is preparing to close the book on her storied career. Backstage, Big Mama begins to recount for her band-mates her humble beginnings in rural Alabama and we quickly flash back to 1940. As the present Big Mama narrates her past, she does so with unique reflection and introspection of what she learned from the events that shaped her life. Regret, rejoice, anger; all intact, but her tone now warm and taught. Ridiculed by her peers for her size, 14 year old, 6’ tall, 200lb’ Willie Mae Thornton finds solace shining shoes outside the local blues tavern where she is discovered singing for herself afterhours by DIAMOND MARY, an established blues singer who offers Willie Mae a backup slot in her touring troupe. Willie Mae politely declines, citing the need to care for her terminally ill mother. But when her mother soon dies, Willie Mae abruptly quits school and hitchhikes away from her families humble cotton farm to Atlanta, Georgia to accept Diamond Mary’s offer. Before leaving, she puts on her father’s overalls, boots, and hat in order to evade the authorities or anyone else who might turn over a young hitchhiker. Thornton’s association with wearing masculine attire such as men’s suits and cowboy boots would stay with her for the rest of her life, both on stage and off. On the road, Diamond Mary coaches Willie Mae about the perils of the music business and encourages her to come out of her sheepish shell. When Willie Mae begins secretly spiking her milk with gin in order to give herself courage on stage, it signifies a turning point in Willie Mae’s persona and she must weigh the positive and negative effects of alcohol. After a seemingly successful stint with Diamond Mary, Willie Mae is abruptly fired in Houston, rendering her homeless. In an attempt to regain her footing in the music scene, she begins shining shoes outside the historic El Dorado Ballroom, where she often sneaks in to catch the hottest blues acts of the time. After conniving her way on stage, Thornton is seen by DON ROBEY, who signs her to Peacock Records and pairs her with two young songwriters who develop the song “Hound Dog” – which becomes a smash hit, selling over 2,000,000 records. In Houston, Thornton also befriends R&B sensation JOHNNY ACE, a charming but foolhardy character with a penchant for whiskey and firearms, and whose song, “Pledging My Love” is a current #1 hit. When the two embark on cross country tour, they wrangle with shady promoters and are thrown out of diners and motels due to segregation. Despite this, the tour culminates with a sold out show at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York, a once unimaginable feat for a rural Alabama shoe-shine girl. Unfortunately, her newfound success is bittersweet when, on Christmas Day, Johnny Ace dies in her arms of a self inflicted gunshot. After burying Johnny Ace, Thornton becomes dispirited with Houston as well as Don Robey, who rejects her men’s attire and brash persona. When she learns he’s denied her proper profits from the wildly successful “Hound Dog” record, the two have a physical altercation. As she heads west for a fresh start, she is sidelined by a near death car accident. Adding insult to injury, she watches from her hospital bed as Elvis Presley earns global acclaim singing “Hound Dog” on the Ed Sullivan show. Upon arriving in San Francisco, Thornton attempts to re-establish herself in the underground club scene, where she meets 20 year old Janis Joplin and the two become inseparable. As an ode to her ‘idol’, Janis records the Thornton penned “Ball & Chain” to great success. With Janis’ help, Big Mama becomes immersed in the burgeoning San Francisco rock n roll scene where she is successfully paired with an unlikely array of acts such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Although Janis recording of “Ball & Chain” helps to revive Thornton’s profile, she is devastated when Janis dies of a drug overdose, and briefly considers retirement. In the final months of her career, Big Mama is beside herself when she spots Diamond Mary in the audience at a gig in New York City. Backstage, they share cigars and laughs before Big Mama presses Mary for the truth about why she was fired 40 years earlier. Mary reveals that she felt Big Mama was too good for the troupe and firing her was a way to set her free and allow her to flourish on her own, an explanation that Big Mama receives tearfully. In closing, our Big Mama takes the stage for soundcheck as we morph into actual 16MM footage of the conclusion of this very show, where the real Big Mama Thornton, dressed identically to ours, leaves the stage. Through postscript, we learn that Big Mama Thornton died on July 25th 1984 in a Los Angeles boarding house and that her funeral was paid for by over 500 friends and fellow musicians.