Rufus, who had been performing blues and spinning blues records for almost 50 years, agreed wholeheartedly. Greenlee, whose King Snake Records had already released albums by Lazy Lester, Noble "Thin Man" Watts, Raful Neal and Kenny Neal, thought it was time for Rufus to record a true blues record. His charismatic appearance at the famed Wattstax concert has recently been issued on DVD.Įarly in 1988, producer Bob Greenlee and Rufus met and began making plans for the return of the world's funkiest grandfather.
Rufus thomas tv#
He became an integral part of the Stax Reunion in 1988, joining daughter Carla, William Bell, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, the "new" Sam and Dave and other soul greats, and he appeared on the Atlantic Records anniversary TV show (Atlantic distributed Stax in the '60s). In the 1970s and 1980s, Rufus continued to keep busy performing and doing his regular stint as a deejay. Soon after, Satellite changed its name to Stax Records and the rest is history.Īs Stax kept churning out hit after hit on the soul and pop charts throughout the '60s, Rufus carved out his own niche with grooving dance tunes like “The Dog,” “Walking The Dog,” “The Funky Chicken,” The Funky Penguin,” and “The Push And Pull.” With his hit songs and outrageous stage presence (he typically wore purple hot pants with matching cape), Rufus truly became Memphis' own "godfather of soul." The song was “Cause I Love You,” and it became Satellite's first hit. And in 1960, when Satellite Records opened its doors, Rufus persuaded the label to cut a duet with him and his teenage daughter Carla. When Sam Phillips started Sun Records in the early 1950s, Rufus Thomas launched his recording career with a song called “Bear Cat.” Written as an "answer song" to big Mama Thornton's hit “Hound Dog,” “Bear Cat” brought Sun its first real taste of success. Rufus was a crucial force in the birth of Memphis' two great record companies, Sun and Stax.
It was at these gigs that Rufus began devising the novelty dance steps that later would become his trademark. During this time, he began playing regular gigs around town and in neighboring Arkansas and Mississippi, performing both at local black roadhouses and upper-crust fraternity parties. As a deejay on one of the country's first black-oriented stations, he regaled listeners with his hometown jive in between playing the top rhythm and blues records of the day. Rufus' way with words led him to Memphis radio station WDIA in the late 1940s. He returned home to perform in vaudeville shows and as an emcee for the popular Beale Street talent contests.
While still in his teens, he was touring the South as a member of the famous Rabbit Foot Minstrels (both roles preparing him for composing “The Funky Chicken”). At the age of six, he made his debut on Beale Street in a theatrical production, playing the role of a frog. His roles ranged from singer, dancer and comedian to deejay and recording artist. He never strayed far from the blues, though, and he continued to do his radio show and entertain into his eighties, showing off both his dances and his legs in hot-pink outfits and high lace-up boots and proudly (and more and more accurately) proclaiming himself to be The World’s Oldest Teenager.Born on Maand raised in Memphis, Rufus Thomas performed for over seventy-five years. He went on, of course, to have hits into the ‘60s and ‘70s (“Walking the Dog” and “Do the Funky Chicken,” among others, not to mention such action follow-ups as “Do the Funky Robot,” “Do the Funky Penguin,” and “Do the Push and Pull”, each accompanied by its own striking new steps and costumes). I made the first record that made money for them, me and Carla.” Just as with Sun, said Rufus, “I was the beginning of Stax. He persuaded Stax owner Jim Stewart to cut a duet on him and his eighteen-year-old daughter Carla, and it was a hit. With its move to his neighborhood, though, Rufus felt it might be time for a change.
Satellite (soon to be renamed Stax) had originally been modeled on Sun and had up till then focused primarily on rockabilly and country. Then in 1960 a little label that had been operating fitfully for the last couple of years moved to South Memphis, and Rufus sensed an opportunity.