Rufus Thomas
Wikimp3 information about the music of Rufus Thomas. On our website we have 68 albums and 70 collections of artist Rufus Thomas. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Rufus Thomas represents Hip Hop/R&B genres.
Biography
[Edit]Few of rock & roll's founding figures are as likable as Rufus Thomas. From the 1940s onward, he has personified Memphis music; his small but witty cameo role in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, a film which satirizes and enshrines the city's role in popular culture, was entirely appropriate. As a recording artist, he wasn't a major innovator, but he could always be depended upon for some good, silly, and/or outrageous fun with his soul dance tunes. He was one of the few rock or soul stars to reach his commercial and artistic peak in middle age, and was a crucial mentor to many important Memphis blues, rock, and soul musicians.
Thomas was already a professional entertainer in the mid-'30s, when he was a comedian with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. He recorded music as early as 1941, but really made his mark on the Memphis music scene as a deejay on WDIA, one of the few black-owned stations of the era. He also ran talent shows on Memphis' famous Beale Street that helped showcase the emerging skills of such influential figures as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, and Roscoe Gordon.
Thomas had his first success as a recording artist in 1953 with "Bear Cat," a funny answer record to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog." It made number three on the R&B charts, giving Sun Records its first national hit, though some of the sweetness went out of the triumph after Sun owner Sam Phillips lost a lawsuit for plagiarizing the original Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller tune. Thomas, strangely, would make only one other record for Sun, and recorded only sporadically throughout the rest of the 1950s.
Thomas and his daughter Carla would become the first stars for the Stax label, for whom they recorded a duet in 1959, "'Cause I Love You" (when the company was still known as Satellite). In the '60s, Carla would become one of Stax's biggest stars. On his own, Rufus wasn't as successful as his daughter, but issued a steady stream of decent dance/novelty singles.
These were not deep or emotional statements, or meant to be. Vaguely prefiguring elements of funk, the accent was on the stripped-down groove and Rufus' good-time vocals, which didn't take himself or anything seriously. The biggest by far was "Walking the Dog," which made the Top Ten in 1963, and was covered by the Rolling Stones on their first album.
Thomas hit his commercial peak in the early '70s, when "Do the Funky Chicken," "(Do The) Push and Pull," and "The Breakdown" all made the R&B Top Five. As the song titles themselves make clear, funk was now driving his sound rather than blues or soul. Thomas drew upon his vaudeville background to put them over on-stage with fancy footwork that displayed remarkable agility for a man well into his 50s. The collapse of the Stax label in the mid-'70s meant the end of his career, basically, as it did for many other artists with the company. In 2001, Rufus Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Later that year, on December 15, he died at St. Francis hospital in Memphis, TN.
Title: The Very Best of Rufus Thomas
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Funk
Title: Walking the Dog - The Early Hits
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Electronica, Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Dancefloor, Dance Pop, Funk
Title: Come Here Mama - Single (with Rufus Thomas) - Single
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Title: Live: 1989 Memphis Music & Heritage Festival
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Do the Funky Chicken (Reissue)
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Funk
Title: Funkiest Man Alive: The Stax Funk Sessions 1967-1975
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk
Title: Star Remasters: Do the Funky Chicken
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Funk
Title: Rufus Thomas - Vintage Cafè / Rufus Thomas - Vintage Cafe
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: Crazy About You Baby. The Complete 1950-1957 Recordings
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: American Portraits: Carla & Rufus Thomas
Artist: Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Walking the Dog (Remastered) - Single
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Pop, Funk
Title: Masters of the Last Century: Best of Rufus Thomas
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Title: Walking the Dog / Do the Funky Chicken (Re-Recorded Versions) - Single
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk
Collections
Title: Stax/Volt - The Complete Singles 1959-1968 - Volume 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Stax/Volt - The Complete Singles 1959-1968 - Volume 4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: 60's Southern Soul, Vol.2
Genre: Dancefloor, Dance Pop
Title: The Soul Man, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Blues: Funkytown!
Genre: Blues
Title: Golden Memphis Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Night Time is the Right Time - Essential Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Rare Memphis Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Non-Stop Rock & Roll Hits Vol 3
Genre: Rock
Title: Ain't Nothin' But... The Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Sun Records - The Rhythm and The Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Just the Very Best of Rock, Vol. 1
Genre: Rock
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1953, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Rock 'n' Roll Heaven
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: Dancing Around the World, Vol. 3
Genre: Pop
Title: Stax/Volt: The Complete Singles (1959-1968), Vol. 5
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Money Songs
Genre: Rock
Title: Sweet Soul - Love Songs
Title: Blues Man's Ball Vol. II
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: The Blues Years, 1950-1958 (Disc 2)
Genre: Blues
Title: Memories of Doo Wop and More, Vol. 4
Genre: Pop
Title: Blues Man's Ball, Vol. 1
Genre: Blues
Title: Horn Band Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Memphis Blues Classics
Genre: Blues
Title: Christmas In Soulsville
Genre: Traditional Pop Music
Title: Talent, 30 Original Songs: Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Hits and Classic Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Saxophone Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: It's a Beach Thang, Vol. 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: I'm Over You - Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: 25 Southern Soul Picks
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Monday Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Soul Rangers Vol. I
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Stax Chartbusters, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Stax Chartbusters, Vol. 6
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Soul Party (Volume 1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Iconic Soul
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Shake the House, Vol. I
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Sun Records Yearbook - 1953
Genre: Blues
Title: 50 Hits of the '60s
Title: The Ultimate '60s Album
Title: Discover - Memphis Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Blues Masterpieces vol.4
Title: Blues Kitchen
Genre: Blues
Title: The Blues Came from Memphis
Genre: Blues
Title: Top 20 Memphis Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Soul Blues Gems
Genre: Blues
Title: The Most Essential Piano Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Land Of A Thousand Dances
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: Memphis Beats - The Music of Beale Street
Genre: Jazz
Title: Masters of Funk
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Soul Legends & Songs-Sam & Dave-Cissy Houston & More
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: 60s Pop Idols
Genre: Pop
Title: Valentine Blues
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Sun Records - Where R'n'R Was Born
Genre: Alternative
Title: More Hits, Vol. 5
Genre: Rock
Title: Bedroom Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Discover 50s Sun Records
Genre: Rock
Title: Best Piano Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Rock and Roll Story, Vol. 2
Genre: Rock
Title: Soul
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Blues Story CD 15
Genre: Blues
Title: The Weekend Starts Here CD 3
Genre: Pop Rock
Title: Blues & Soul Masters CD 1
Title: Essential Blues Vol. 1 CD 1
Genre: Blues
Featuring albums
Title: Johnnie Taylor - Live At the Summit Club
Artist: Johnnie Taylor
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Christmas A Go-Go
Artist: Various
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Punk, Hardcore Punk, Pop, Traditional Pop Music, Theatre/Soundtrack, Vocal & Symphonic
Title: Apollo Saturday Night
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Blues Rock
Title: What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves [1967-1977]
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Never to be Forgotten: The Flip Side of Stax 1968-74
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Funk
Title: Grandes Éxitos de los 70's, Vol. 2 / Grandes Exitos de los 70's, Vol. 2
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Disco
Title: The Complete Stax / Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 3: 1972-1975
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Elvis & Nixon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'N' Roll
Artist: Sam Phillips
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Rock & Roll, Country, Rockabilly, Pop
Title: The Get Down - Episode 105: If You Have Wings, Learn How To Fly
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack