NPR reports that Leiber and Stoller had never encountered an artist that looked or sounded like Thornton. The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings describes her as weighing 300 pounds and having a heavily-scarred face. Additionally, she preferred to dress in men's clothing. History writes that Thornton began performing at the age of 14. By 1951, she had a recording contract and was asked to join musician Johnny Otis' band. After watching her perform with Otis, Leiber and Stoller got to work on writing a song specifically for Thornton. According to the American Songwriter, Stoller came up with "Hound Dog" in his 1937 Plymouth.
Leiber was not a fan of the lyrics, but Stoller was convinced that he had a hit. All in all, it took them 12 minutes to finish the lyrics. As Shmoop explains, "Hound Dog" is about breaking off a relationship with a two-timing man. In Leiber's words, his intention was to provide a song for Thornton "That basically said go f**** yourself" (via The Library of Congress). When Thornton was first handed the lyrics, she sang them like a ballad. However, Leiber and Stoller wanted her to growl, to represent her hardened demeanor.
Thornton, per the American Songwriter, replied by saying, "Don't you tell me how to sing." Ultimately, Thornton's final version of "Hound dog" was recorded on August 13, 1952 (per History). After the song's release, The Library of Congress states that she had a sporadic career. Thornton later wrote and recorded "Ball & Chain" which was made famous by Janis Joplin. Big Mama Thornton died on July 25, 1984.
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