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Daily Find – The Place by Big Mama Thornton – R&B Soul / Blues Lp

Daily Discovery - The Place by Big Mama Thornton - R&B Soul Lp on Arhoolie Records #1028

"It's that crazy beat that moves the body and the feet" the lyrics tell it all. Funky guitar that breaks into a Mod dance beat, and of course Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's voice! A short but impressive tune. Yeah, no doubt, this will be on your want list shortly.

What about the rest of the album, you ask? Yes, it has "Hound Dog"! The liner notes mention the 1952 song (which was also later recorded by Elvis Presley) by the soon to be legendary writing team Leiber & Stoller. They actually handed "Big Mama" the song on a brown paper bag! She liked the song but didn't actually record it until 1953. When it was released, it quickly brought her fame, nationwide.
"My Heavy Load" is a tear jerker! Instantly my heart felt synchronized to the plucking of the guitar. I felt heavy, my shoulders seemed to slump through the pain in the music and in the voice! Talk about the blues, oh man! I remembered my mom saying to me as a child when I was about to do something wrong "don't do it, don't get yourself in trouble". I couldn't help listening to the song 6 times in a row. Through chills and almost fever, I couldn't get enough!

That's just the beginning!

Side 1 - Swing It On Home - Sweet Little Angel - The Place - Little Red Rooster - Unlucky Girl - Hound Dog
Side 2 - My Heavy Load - School Boy - Down Home Shake Down - Your Love Is Where It Ought To Be - Session Blues

Recorded in London, England in 1965 then later pressed in Berkeley, California