This is actually not the original version by Freddie Bell... the original single is in a different key and after the intro chorus someone yells "arf arf arf"... fyi
Freddy and the Bellboys are to Elvis as Freddy and the Dreamers are to the Beatles. And as for Big Mama, there just aint no comparison. Big Mama rocks!!!
Listen to Elvis sing it in his 1968 special version, he uses the "Big Mama Thornton" line "Snoopin round my door". He was definitely influenced by that early version!
Never heard this recording! Elvis obviously laened on THIS version when he "introduced" it as a E.P. set-piece on the June 5th, 1956 Milton Berle Televisison Program.
@harmless42 it was practically written FOR her, actually. i just read it in a book today. Leiber and Stoller heard Thornton sing, along with quite a few other "black" artist/groups, and were so excited about "Big Mama"'s voice that they wrote the song immediately after they left the place, and had half of the song done by the time they got back to their place. They finished it, and took it back a couple days later and showed it to her.
@AllBobsAllTheTime Elvis was copying this version very closely... I don't think you can own something that is basically a borrowed version of a borrowed tune... Big Mama actually OWNED this, as it was written FOR her and really doesn't even make sense in its original context even being sung a a white male teeny bopper. It was a good decision on Elvis' part to borrow it, but everyone else had done all the work for him, right down to the very arrangement.
@SEANFIR Of course; that's all well known - but when Elvis performed Hound Dog on Milton Berle's old show, a revolution ensued. Had he not done that, nobody would today be talking about Big Mama or Freddie Bell or even, perhaps, Leiber and Stoller (except as classic Tin Pan Alley songwriters.)
@SEANFIR Big Mama Thornton did NOT own this song, nor was this song written for her. The song was written by Lieber & Stoller to be a blues song and to be sung by a blues singer, she just happened to be the singer to singer it first, but it was not written for her. Freddie Bell's & Elvis' versions are very different from the original in every way except for the title and 1 line. Moreover, this is like the 4th or 5th cover of the song, and covers all were different from the original.
@EbonyBunny1 I've heard in interviews with leiber and stoller that they did in fact write it for Big Mama... by "owned" I meant that she sang the song the way it was meant to be sung... not anything to do with publishing, etc.
@EbonyBunny1 Maybe, I've also just heard them say they wrote it for a blues singer but not for her specifically. Who knows, I wasn't there. I know they have said they hated Elvis' version until it made them rich lol.
@EbonyBunny1 Actually, it practically was written for her. Leiber and Stoller heard her voice and wrote the song with her in mind. Then a couple days later they went back to the studio and showed it to her and she recorded it. I can give you the book reference which states this information if you'd like.
@Snackay I've clarified what I said... I never meant she actually owned it but was responding to a post by someone who said that ELVIS OWNED IT, and by THAT he meant, that he TOOK CONTROL OF A SONG THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DONE BY SOMEONE ELSE, to which I replied... morons... anyway...
Big Mama's best version is her 1954 recording on Peacock Records
.
Surprisingly Elvis did not get this tune from hearing Big Mama Thornton.
He came across this tune when he was in Las Vegas in 1956 and encountered a lounge act called Freddy Bell and the Bellboys doing it at the Sahara. It would be 3 months later that he would record this song and release it. So in his mind he did not get it from a black artist but a bunch of white guys in Las Vegas.
All I have to say is that Mama Thornton's words in her original version inspired and touched both acts that they wanted to make it their own, and that they did, whether stolen or not each were a part of music history, even if her version was weak and had no feeling in many listeners' opinions.
Whether it is said Elvis to have remade this version of "Hound Dog", he 'n Freddie Bell still received their little fame covering Big Mama Thornton's original version...let's keep it simple 'n truthful!!!
Whether it be said all the above didn't write the song in the first place, so each had their own version,and elvis Blew everyone's version out of the water.SIMPLE!!!
OK, let's keep it truthful. Big Mama Thornton didn't write the song. A pair of Jewish guys, Lieber & Stoller, did. Big Mama recorded it in 1953 and had a three-year run with it, accruing whatever profits she could from it. In 1956 Elvis's version was released. That's NOT a cover. A cover, as the term was used back then, was a white version released ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after a black version became a hit--the idea being that the white version would scoop up all the profits to be made.
Where IS the original version, then? A link or pointer . . .
robinmark64 2 months ago
R.I.P. Uncle Freddy.
DaltonsAlarmClockTim 3 months ago
This is actually not the original version by Freddie Bell... the original single is in a different key and after the intro chorus someone yells "arf arf arf"... fyi
SEANFIR 5 months ago
Freddy and the Bellboys are to Elvis as Freddy and the Dreamers are to the Beatles. And as for Big Mama, there just aint no comparison. Big Mama rocks!!!
leitros 5 months ago
Listen to Elvis sing it in his 1968 special version, he uses the "Big Mama Thornton" line "Snoopin round my door". He was definitely influenced by that early version!
siciliano66 6 months ago
@siciliano66
Where's the video link?
justicejayant 6 months ago
Who sung "Hound Dog" first???
Mithra3712 7 months ago
@Mithra3712 Big Mama Thornton, three years before Elvis.
TheThing88 7 months ago
@TheThing88
actually 4 years earlier!
WorldCitizen667 4 weeks ago
Never heard this recording! Elvis obviously laened on THIS version when he "introduced" it as a E.P. set-piece on the June 5th, 1956 Milton Berle Televisison Program.
ensconse 7 months ago
R.I.P. Jerry Mayo
wazzzit 9 months ago
Well.... not sure if it was written FOR Big Mama Thornton
but she was the first to record it and
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller produced the song themselves
Check the wikipedia entry
harmless42 1 year ago
@harmless42 it was practically written FOR her, actually. i just read it in a book today. Leiber and Stoller heard Thornton sing, along with quite a few other "black" artist/groups, and were so excited about "Big Mama"'s voice that they wrote the song immediately after they left the place, and had half of the song done by the time they got back to their place. They finished it, and took it back a couple days later and showed it to her.
clarityofsuchgrace 10 months ago
Freddie bell was at the silver bird!!!
williethegoat 1 year ago
I like him more than Elvis!
ispy528 1 year ago
Pretty amazing although neither they nor Thornton can touch The King - Elvis owns this one!!!
AllBobsAllTheTime 1 year ago
@AllBobsAllTheTime Elvis was copying this version very closely... I don't think you can own something that is basically a borrowed version of a borrowed tune... Big Mama actually OWNED this, as it was written FOR her and really doesn't even make sense in its original context even being sung a a white male teeny bopper. It was a good decision on Elvis' part to borrow it, but everyone else had done all the work for him, right down to the very arrangement.
SEANFIR 1 year ago
@SEANFIR Of course; that's all well known - but when Elvis performed Hound Dog on Milton Berle's old show, a revolution ensued. Had he not done that, nobody would today be talking about Big Mama or Freddie Bell or even, perhaps, Leiber and Stoller (except as classic Tin Pan Alley songwriters.)
AllBobsAllTheTime 1 year ago
@SEANFIR
Elvis produced ALL his stuff at RCA-
Give the King his due.
OL55CADDY 1 year ago
@OL55CADDY That is true... I do think he was very technical and exacting... he was a fan of great music and strove to make it his own.
SEANFIR 1 year ago
@SEANFIR Big Mama Thornton did NOT own this song, nor was this song written for her. The song was written by Lieber & Stoller to be a blues song and to be sung by a blues singer, she just happened to be the singer to singer it first, but it was not written for her. Freddie Bell's & Elvis' versions are very different from the original in every way except for the title and 1 line. Moreover, this is like the 4th or 5th cover of the song, and covers all were different from the original.
EbonyBunny1 1 year ago
@EbonyBunny1 I've heard in interviews with leiber and stoller that they did in fact write it for Big Mama... by "owned" I meant that she sang the song the way it was meant to be sung... not anything to do with publishing, etc.
SEANFIR 1 year ago
@EbonyBunny1 Maybe, I've also just heard them say they wrote it for a blues singer but not for her specifically. Who knows, I wasn't there. I know they have said they hated Elvis' version until it made them rich lol.
EbonyBunny1 1 year ago
@EbonyBunny1 Actually, it practically was written for her. Leiber and Stoller heard her voice and wrote the song with her in mind. Then a couple days later they went back to the studio and showed it to her and she recorded it. I can give you the book reference which states this information if you'd like.
clarityofsuchgrace 10 months ago
@SEANFIR She did NOT own it! It was written by Leiber and Stoller.
Snackay 1 year ago
@Snackay I've clarified what I said... I never meant she actually owned it but was responding to a post by someone who said that ELVIS OWNED IT, and by THAT he meant, that he TOOK CONTROL OF A SONG THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DONE BY SOMEONE ELSE, to which I replied... morons... anyway...
SEANFIR 1 year ago
@SEANFIR 'Owned' doesn't necessarily mean 'owning' as in possession. He probably means that Elvis nailed the song.
elvispresley11 9 months ago
Big Mama's best version is her 1954 recording on Peacock Records
.
Surprisingly Elvis did not get this tune from hearing Big Mama Thornton.
He came across this tune when he was in Las Vegas in 1956 and encountered a lounge act called Freddy Bell and the Bellboys doing it at the Sahara. It would be 3 months later that he would record this song and release it. So in his mind he did not get it from a black artist but a bunch of white guys in Las Vegas.
Source: Texas Musicians Museum
theTXMM 1 year ago 5
@theTXMM Elvis saw Freddie Bell at the Sands, not the Sahara.
Goedhartbros 1 year ago
@theTXMM Agreed
honkeytonker 1 year ago
@theTXMM It was written by two white guys. There wasn't any stealing from black people.
Snackay 1 year ago
@theTXMM
sorry but Big Mama's version was recorded & released in 1952!!
WorldCitizen667 4 weeks ago
Hound Dog was written by Leiber and Stoller. This version as well as Elvis great, great version are way way different than that of Big Mama.
patriciaobrian 1 year ago
this is my great uncle [:
Marix3isx3here 2 years ago 12
Hey this is pretty kool, I've heard so many, love Big Mama Thornton but it's great to hear the progression and evolution of this song.
CrisVangel 2 years ago
All I have to say is that Mama Thornton's words in her original version inspired and touched both acts that they wanted to make it their own, and that they did, whether stolen or not each were a part of music history, even if her version was weak and had no feeling in many listeners' opinions.
cdsouthsidec1 2 years ago
Whether it is said Elvis to have remade this version of "Hound Dog", he 'n Freddie Bell still received their little fame covering Big Mama Thornton's original version...let's keep it simple 'n truthful!!!
meechamaka411 2 years ago
Whether it be said all the above didn't write the song in the first place, so each had their own version,and elvis Blew everyone's version out of the water.SIMPLE!!!
bolanboogie59 2 years ago 2
OK, let's keep it truthful. Big Mama Thornton didn't write the song. A pair of Jewish guys, Lieber & Stoller, did. Big Mama recorded it in 1953 and had a three-year run with it, accruing whatever profits she could from it. In 1956 Elvis's version was released. That's NOT a cover. A cover, as the term was used back then, was a white version released ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after a black version became a hit--the idea being that the white version would scoop up all the profits to be made.
KudzuRunner 2 years ago
@meechamaka411 Hound Dog was composed by Leiber and Stoller.
(but not Mama Thornton)
chucky1856 2 years ago
top class ,,rock n roll,,,,,more please,,,,,,,,
elvischevy 2 years ago
Cant get enough of this version and that sax is simply sensational.
baldyholly79 2 years ago
This is guy was underrated, what a performer!!!!
baldyholly79 2 years ago