Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984)

Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” (1956) is one of the biggest and
most instantly recognizable pop songs in history. It’s a song
so closely associated with the King of Rock and Roll, in fact,
that many may mistakenly assume that it was a Elvis original,
in fact, the story of the song that gave Presley his longest-
running #1 hit (11 weeks) in the summer of 1956 began four
years earlier, when “Hound Dog” was recorded for the very
first time by the rhythm-and-blues singer Ellie Mae “Big
Mama” Thornton in Los Angeles, California.

Elvis with his new Harley Davidson in 1956.

The motorcycle was a classic black-and-chrome beauty that
perfectly matched his signature style. As he rode around town
on it, heads turned and people stopped to take pictures.

WASHINGTON (TND) — Singer Tony Bennett has passed away
just two weeks short of his birthday.

Bennett died in his hometown of New York, his publicist Sylvia
Weiner confirmed to The Associated Press.

No specific cause was given but the singer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

His family revealed the news to AARP magazine in 2021 with
Bennett saying, "Life is a gift — even with Alzheimer’s."

TIM MAGUIRE

GREASE officially opened on Broadway at the
Broadhurst on June 7th, 1972. The show starred
Barry Bostwick as Danny and Carole Demas as
Sandy.

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock)
(November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023)

Tina Turner, known as the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, has died
after a long illness.

The singer, who achieved global fame with a string of soulful
hits including River Deep – Mountain High, The Best and What’s
Love Got To Do With It, triumphed over early adversity and also overcame domestic abuse, to become one of the world’s most
loved singers.

She died at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.

Ike and Tina Turner

1967: Turner was the first black artist and first female on the
cover of Rolling Stone magazine (Issue No. 2).