(1917-03-26)March 26, 1917 Cayce, Mississippi, U.S.
Died
December 15, 2001(2001-12-15) (aged 84) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
R&B
southern soul
blues
dance
funk
Occupation(s)
Singer
songwriter
dancer
comedian
television host
disc jockey
Years active
1936–1998
Labels
Chess
Sun
Stax
AVI
Musical artist
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001)[1][2][3] 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."[4]
He began his career as a tap dancer, vaudeville performer, and master of ceremonies in the 1930s. He later worked as a disc jockey on radio station WDIA in Memphis, both before and after his recordings became successful. He remained active into the 1990s and as a performer and recording artist was often billed as "The World's Oldest Teenager". He was the father of the singers Carla Thomas (with whom he recorded duets) and Vaneese Thomas and the keyboard player Marvell Thomas.
^Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. pp. 223–224. ISBN 978-0313344237.
^Unterberger, Richie. "Rufus Thomas: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
^"Rufus Thomas Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
^Cite error: The named reference msbluestrail was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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...
children of Rufus and Lorene Thomas. Despite growing up in the projects, the Thomas family lived near the Palace Theater on Beale Street, as Rufus was the...
up Rufus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin rufus, "red")...
Rufus and Carla was the moniker Stax Records used when releasing duets by RufusThomas and daughter Carla Thomas. They have the distinction of sharing...
has media related to Rufus Sewell. Rufus Sewell on Twitter Rufus Sewell at IMDb Rufus Sewell on the British Film Institute Rufus Sewell news and commentary...
situation. The resulting album featured King, the Coasters, Doris Troy, RufusThomas, the Falcons and Redding. Around this time Walden and Rodgers were drafted...
the field to dance while RufusThomas performed "Do the Funky Chicken". Stax executive Larry Shaw immediately asked Thomas to get the audience to return...
"Ain't I'm A Dog?" – Ronnie Self (1957) "Stop Kickin' My Dog Around" – RufusThomas (1963) "Dog" – Bob Dorough (1966) "I'll Take the Dog" – Jean Shepard...
"Fool in Love", Stewart met with Memphis disc jockey and R&B singer RufusThomas, and both parties were impressed by the other. Around the same time,...
"Walking the Dog" (or "Walkin' the Dog") is a song written and performed by RufusThomas. It was released on his 1963 album Walking the Dog. It was his signature...
son of William the Conqueror, he is commonly referred to as William Rufus (Rufus being Latin for "the Red"), perhaps because of his ruddy appearance or...
artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, RufusThomas and Johnnie Taylor. He also acted as the producer of many of these...
Tina Turner, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Joe Cocker, Shirley Brown, RufusThomas, Etta James, Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Buddy Guy, The Rascals, The...
Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Little Milton, B.B. King, James Cotton, RufusThomas, and Rosco Gordon recorded there in the early 1950s. Rock and roll, country...
and RufusThomas; performed by RufusThomas. "Do The Funky Penguin", written by Jo Bridges, Tom Nixon, Mack Rice and RufusThomas; performed by Rufus Thomas...
by Joy Harjo, refers to the song "Walking the Dog" – 1963 single by RufusThomas with lyrics based on "Mary Mack" "Witchcraft" – 1989 single by Book of...
his father RufusThomas, and his sister Carla Thomas. His father, RufusThomas, was dubbed "Memphis's other King". His sister Carla Thomas was known as...
"Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes "The Breakdown (Part II)" by RufusThomas "Real Niggaz Don't Die" "UFO" by ESG "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson...
Bar-Kays and went on to record with Stax artists such as Isaac Hayes, RufusThomas and the Staple Singers, as well as appear at Wattstax, "The Black Woodstock"...
American R&B singer and entertainer RufusThomas for Stax Records in 1969. The song was used as the title track of Thomas' 1970 LP, Do The Funky Chicken....
the other artists who recorded for Sun were RufusThomas (who recorded solo and with his daughter Carla Thomas), Tex Weiss, Charlie Rich, Bill Justis, Conway...
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