Her style was heavily influenced by gospel music that she listened to growing up at the home of a preacher, though her genre could be described as blues. Thornton was quoted in a 1980 article in the "New York Times": "when I was comin' up, listening to Bessie Smith and all, they sung from their heart and soul and expressed themselves. That's why when I do a song by Jimmy Reed or somebody, I have my own way of singing it. Because I don't want to be Jimmy Reed, I want to be me. I like to put myself into whatever I'm doin' so I can feel it".