Artist:Rufus ThomasSong:Walkin' The Dog
Album:The Best Of Rufus Thomas: Do The Funky Somethin'
Rufus Thomas was a legend of the Memphis music scene not only for his music but as a comedian and a DJ. Walkin' The Dog was his one top ten pop hit in 1963 but he had plenty of other animal related hits on Stax. He was born Mar. 27, 1917 in Cayce, MS and grew up in Memphis. He joined the Rabbit Foot Minstrels in 1936 and then worked a full time job at a textile plant. In his spare time, he started working as a DJ at Memphis radio station WDIA in 1951 and he even had a minor hit with the song Bear Cat in 1953. It was an answer to Big Mama Thornton's Hound Dog. Thomas is credited for discovering BB King. His music career began with Stax Records in 1963. Thomas had a song idea while sitting in church. He saw some cars in front of Stax and went to see if any musicians were there. He told Booker T. & The MGs guitarist Steve Cropper his idea and Walkin' The Dog was the result. Atlantic Records' Tom Dowd was in town and he insisted on releasing the song with their new deal with Stax. It was Thomas' only top ten hit but he had plenty of other R & B hits including Do The Funky Chicken. All those hits are on this Rhino comp. Of course his daughter Carla Thomas was one of Stax's biggest stars and his son Marvel Thomas was a Stax keyboard player. Rufus Thomas' recording career ended when Stax went bankrupt in 1975. He would record a couple more albums but he continued to perform until his death on Dec. 15, 2001 at age 84. Rufus Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame prior to his death and has a street named after him in Memphis. His music sure is a lot of fun. Here's Rufus Thomas performing Walkin' The Dog in England 1965.
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