Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. His dance records, including "Walking the Dog" (1963), "Do the Funky Chicken" (1969), and "(Do the) Push and Pull" (1970), were some of his most successful songs. According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the local scene." His mother was a "church woman". Thomas made his debut as a performer at the age of six, playing a frog in a school theatrical production. By the age of 10, he was a tap dancer, performing on the streets and in amateur productions at Booker T. Washington High School, in Memphis. From the age of 13, he worked with Nat D. Williams, his high-school history teacher, who was also a pioneer black DJ at radio station WDIA and columnist for black newspapers, as a master of ceremonies at talent shows in the Palace Theater on Beale Street. In 1936 he joined the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, an all-black revue that toured the South, as a tap dancer and comedian, sometimes part of a duo, Rufus and Johnny. and the couple settled in Memphis. Thomas worked a day job in the American Finishing Company textile bleaching plant, which he continued to do for over 20 years. The record, "I'll Be a Good Boy" backed with "I'm So Worried", gained a Billboard review, which stated that "Thomas shows first class style on a slow blues". He also recorded for the Bullet label in Nashville, Tennessee, when he recorded with Bobby Plater's Orchestra and was credited as "Mr. Swing"; the recordings were not recognised by researchers as being by Thomas until 1996. In 1951 he made his first recordings at Sam Phillips's Sun Studio, for the Chess label, but they were not commercially successful. Thomas claimed to be the first black DJ to play Elvis Presley records, which he did until the station program director made him stop due to segregation. Shortly thereafter, Thomas performed on stage with Elvis to an all-black audience and the audience stormed through to get to him. After that, the program director allowed Elvis songs to be played on WDIA. Thomas did not record again until 1956, when he made a single, "I'm Steady Holdin' On", for the Bihari brothers' Meteor label; musicians on the record included Lewie Steinberg, later a founding member of Booker T and the MGs.
As well as recording and appearing on radio and in clubs, Thomas continued to work as a boiler operator in the textile plant, where he claimed the noises sometimes suggested musical rhythms and lyrics to him, before he finally gave up the job in 1963, A further dance-oriented release in 1971, "The Breakdown", climbed to No. 2 R&B and No. 31 Pop. In 1972, he featured in the Wattstax concert, and he had several further, less successful, hits before Stax collapsed in 1976. In 1996, he and William Bell headlined at the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997, he released an album, Rufus Live!, on Ecko Records. In 1998, he hosted two New Year's Eve shows on Beale Street. He is buried next to his wife Lorene, who died in 2000, at the New Park Cemetery in Memphis.
Writer Peter Guralnick said of him:<blockquote>His music... brought a great deal of joy to the world, but his personality brought even more, conveying a message of grit, determination, indomitability, above all a bottomless appreciation for the human comedy that left little room for the drab or the dreary in his presence.</blockquote>
Thomas was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Byhalia.
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US<br>R&B</small><br>
! width="40"| US<br>R&B<br>
! width="40"| UK<br>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1950
| align="left"| "I'll Be a Good Boy"
| align="left"| "I'm So Worried"
| align="left"| Star Talent 807
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Gonna Bring My Baby Back" <br>(<small>as Mr. Swing with Bobby Plater's Orchestra</small>)
| align="left"| "Beer Bottle Boogie" <br>(<small>as Mr. Swing with Bobby Plater's Orchestra</small>)
| align="left"| Bullet 327
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1951
| align="left"| "Night Walkin' Blues"
| align="left"| "Why Did You Dee Gee"
| align="left"| Chess 1466
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1952
| align="left"| "No More Doggin' Around"
| align="left"| "Crazy 'Bout You, Baby"
| align="left"| Chess 1492
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Juanita"
| align="left"| "Decorate the Counter"
| align="left"| Chess 1517
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1953
| align="left"| "Bear Cat"
| align="left"| "Walking in the Rain"
| align="left"| Sun 181
| —
| 3
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Tiger Man (King of the Jungle)"
| align="left"| "Save Your Money"
| align="left"| Sun 188
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1956
| align="left"| "I'm Steady Holdin' On"
| align="left"| "The Easy Livin' Plan"
| align="left"| Meteor 5039
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1960
| align="left"| "Cause I Love You"<br>(<small>as Carla [Thomas] and Rufus</small>)
| align="left"| "Deep Down Inside"<br>(<small>as Carla and Rufus</small>)
| align="left"| Satellite 102; <br/>Atco 6177
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1961
| align="left"| "I Didn't Believe"<br>(<small>as Rufus and Friend [Carla]</small>)
| align="left"| "Yeah, Yea-Ah"<br>(<small>as Rufus and Friend</small>)
| align="left"| Atco 6199
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1962
| align="left"| "Can't Ever Let You Go"
| align="left"| "It's Aw'right"
| align="left"| Stax 126
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1963
| align="left"| "The Dog"
| align="left"| "Did You Ever Love a Woman"
| align="left"| Stax 130
| 87
| 22
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Walking the Dog"
| align="left"| "You Said"<br><small>("Fine & Mellow" on some early copies)</small>
| align="left"| Stax 140
| 10
| 4
| —
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1964
| align="left"| "Can Your Monkey Do the Dog"
| align="left"| "I Wanna Get Married"
| align="left"| Stax 144
| 48
| *
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Somebody Stole My Dog"
| align="left"| "I Want to Be Loved"
| align="left"| Stax 149
| 86
| *
| —
|-
| align="left"| "That's Really Some Good"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| "Night Time Is the Right Time"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| Stax 151
| 92 <small>(A)</small> <br>94 <small>(B)</small>
| *
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Jump Back"
| align="left"| "All Night Worker"
| align="left"| Stax 157
| 49
| *
| —
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1965
| align="left"| "Little Sally Walker"
| align="left"| "Baby Walk"
| align="left"| Stax 167
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Willy Nilly"
| align="left"| "Sho' Gonna Mess Him Up"
| align="left"| Stax 173
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "When You Move You Lose"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| "We're Tight"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| Stax 176
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Chicken Scratch"
| align="left"| "The World Is Round"
| align="left"| Stax 178
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1966
| align="left"| "Birds and Bees"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| "Never Let You Go"<br>(<small>as Rufus & Carla</small>)
| align="left"| Stax 184
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1967
| align="left"| "Sister's Got a Boyfriend"
| align="left"| "Talkin' 'Bout True Love"
| align="left"| Stax 200
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Sophisticated Sissy"
| align="left"| "Greasy Spoon"
| align="left"| Stax 221
| —
| 43
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1968
| align="left"| "Down ta My House"
| align="left"| "Steady Holding On"
| align="left"| Stax 240
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "The Memphis Train"
| align="left"| "I Think I Made a Boo-Boo"
| align="left"| Stax 250
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Funky Mississippi"
| align="left"| "So Hard to Get Along With"
| align="left"| Stax 0010
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1969
| align="left"| "Funky Way"
| align="left"| "I Want to Hold You"
| align="left"| Stax 0022
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Do the Funky Chicken"
| align="left"| "Turn Your Damper Down"
| align="left"| Stax 0059
| 28
| 5
| 18
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1970
| align="left"| "Sixty Minute Man"
| align="left"| "The Preacher and the Bear"
| align="left"| Stax 0071
| —
| 42
| —
|-
| align="left"| "(Do the) Push and Pull (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0079
| 25
| 1
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1971
| align="left"| "The World Is Round"
| align="left"| "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons"
| align="left"| Stax 0090
| —
| 34
| —
|-
| align="left"| "The Breakdown (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0098
| 31
| 2
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Do the Funky Penguin (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0112
| 44
| 11
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1972
| align="left"| "6-3-8 (That's the Number to Play)"
| align="left"| "Love Trap"
| align="left"| Stax 0129
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Itch and Scratch (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0140
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1973
| align="left"| "Funky Robot (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0153
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "I Know You Don't Want Me No More"
| align="left"| "I'm Still in Love with You"
| align="left"| Stax 0177
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "That Makes Christmas Day"
| align="left"| "I'll Be Your Santa Baby"
| align="left"| Stax 0187
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1974
| align="left"| "The Funky Bird"
| align="left"| "Steal a Little"
| align="left"| Stax 0192
| —
| 93
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Boogie Ain't Nuttin' (But Gettin' Down) (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0219
| —
| 63
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1975
| align="left"| "Do the Double Bump (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0236
| —
| 74
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Jump Back '75 (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| Stax 0254
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1976
| align="left"| "If There Were No Music"
| align="left"| "Blues in the Basement"
| align="left"| Artists of America 126
| —
| 92
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1977
| align="left"| "Who's Making Love to Your Old Lady"
| align="left"| "Hot Grits"
| align="left"| AVI 149
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "I Ain't Gittin' Older, I'm Gittin' Better (Part 1)"
| align="left"| "Part 2"
| align="left"| AVI 178
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1978
| align="left"| "Fried Chicken"
| align="left"| "I Ain't Got Time"
| align="left"| Hi 78520
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| align="left"| "Everybody Cried (The Day Disco Died)"
| align="left"| "I'd Love to Love You Again"
| align="left"| XL 151
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1984
| align="left"| "Rappin' Rufus"
| align="left"| "Rappin' Rufus (Instrumental Mix)"
| align="left"| Ichiban 85-103
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1998
| align="left"| "Hey Rufus!"
| align="left"| "Body Fine"<br>(<small>by The Bar-Kays</small>)
| align="left"| High Stacks HS9801-7
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.<br> * denotes that Billboard did not publish R&B charts during these chart runs.
|}
Source:
References
Further reading
- Greenberg, Steve. Do the Funky Somethin': The Best of Rufus Thomas (liner notes), Rhino Records, 1996.
External links
- Rufus Thomas Biography at Alligator Records
- Soulwalking.co.uk