Rufus Thomas

He made his professional singing debut at the Elks Club on Beale Street in Memphis, filling in for another singer at the last minute. He made his first 78 rpm record in 1943 for the Star Talent label in Texas, "I'll Be a Good Boy", backed with "I'm So Worried." He also became an on-air personality with WDIA, one of the first radio stations in the US to feature an all-black staff and programming geared toward blacks. He became one of the station's ... Read More

Born a sharecropper's son in the rural community of Caycee, Mississippii, Thomas moved to Memphis with his family at age 2. His mother was “a church woman.” Thomas made his artistic debut at the age of 6 playing a frog in a school theatrical production. Much later in life, he would impersonate all kinds of animals: screeching cats, funky chickens and penguins, and mournful dogs. By age 10, he was a tap dancer, performing in amateur productions at Memphis' Booker T. Washingtonn ... Read More