The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum


“Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton’s Blues and the Sound of Rock and Roll,” Lecture by Maureen Mahon

This event is part of Ladies First: Celebrating African-American Women Who Rock during Black History Month at the Rock Hall.

Maureen Mahon, a cultural anthropologist, teaches in the ethnomusicology program in the Department of Music at New York University. She will discuss the “transgressive” music and image of “Big Mama” Thornton, who recorded the original version of “Hound Dog.”  Mahon contends that Thornton tapped into a liberated black femininity through which she freed herself from many of the expectations for black women. She is the author of Right to Rock:  The Black Rock Coalition and the Cultural Politics of Race (2004). Her current research on the intersection of gender, race, sexuality, and music production has been published in The Journal of Popular Music, Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture, the reader African American Music: An Introduction, and EbonyJet.com. Mahon is at work on a book about African American women and rock and roll.

This event is FREE with a ticket reservation online at http://tickets.rockhall.com or in-person at the Rock Hall Box Office.  Tickets will become available to Rock Hall Members on Thursday, February 2 at 10 a.m. EST and will become available to the general public on Friday, February 3 at 10 a.m. EST.  A limited number of tickets will be available for those without internet access through the Rock Hall’s RSVP phone system by calling (216) 515-8426.


This event will also be streamed on rockhall.com.

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This event is part of:

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In February, the Museum focuses its attention on a specific African-American root or offshoot of rock and roll. Events include free performances by local and national groups, film screenings, lectures, and intimate evenings of conversation, all celebrating the traditions of blues, soul, rhythm & blues and gospel. Since 1996, performers have included Robert Lockwood, Jr., The Temptations, Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Mavis Staples, Take 6, Al Green, the Ohio Players and the Manhattans.

2012: Ladies First: Celebrating African-American Women Who Rock

To celebrate Black History Month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has planned a month-long tribute to African-American women in rock, entitled Ladies First. This program is presented in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibit, Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power. Throughout the history of popular music, African-American women have played a key role in the creation and advancement of rock and roll. Artists like Bessie Smith, Ruth Brown, the Shirelles, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Janelle Monae have been innovators and trailblazers. Throughout February, African-American women’s contributions to the history of rock and roll will be highlighted in a series of programs including interviews, films, classes and performances. 

All Events in Black History Month Events: