 |
| R&B royalty: Roy Brown, Big mama Thornton, and Pee Wee Crayton. Roy Brown, best known for "Good Rockin' Tonight," had 17 top 20 R&B hits, and influenced everybody from Elvis to James Brown. Big Mama Thornton was the last of the real brag-and-swagger mamas. In 1953 she breathed fire into a song written by two white boys, and the rest is "Hound Dog" history. Pee Wee Crayton brought T-Bone Walker-style guitar to California and helped shape the West Coast blues sound of the 40's and 50's. He had a number 1 R&B hit with "Blues After Hours." |
