Rufus Thomas

Born on March 26, 1917, in Cayce, Mississippi, R&B and blues legend Rufus Thomas began his career in the 1930s as a comedian with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. In the 1940s he was a DJ on Memphis' WDIA radio, one of the few black-owned stations of that time. His talent shows influenced the careers of such R&B greats as Ike Turner, Bobby Bland and B.B. King. In the 1950s he recorded with Sam Phillips' Sun Records, and in the 1960s he and daughter Carla Thomas were part of the Stax label. His biggest hits have been dance/novelty tunes, such as "Walking the Dog." The 1970s brought disco and Thomas contributed "Do the Funky Chicken."