Rufus Thomas was born on March 26, 1917 in the tiny hamlet of Cayce, Mississippi, a stone's throw from the Tennessee line. He was the youngest of five children born to Rufus Sr. and Rachel Thomas. When Rufus was two-years-old, the family packed up and moved to Memphis where he would spend the rest of his life and where his music and personality would leave an indelible mark, not only on the city, but also on American culture and popular music around the world.

Rufus first began performing in the mid-1930's dancing, singing and doing comedy in the traveling vaudeville show, "The Rabbit Foot Minstrels." Appearing on Beale Street in Memphis as young as 17-years-old, Rufus performed at venues such as Club Handy and the Flamingo Room. He hosted Amateur Night at the Palace Theatre throughout the 1940's and 50's where he introduced young performers including B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and countless others.

In 1947, Memphis radio station WDIA emerged as the first black-operated station in the country, and Rufus soon became one of the station's most popular disc jockeys. His 2-hour nighttime show, "Hoot and Holler" premiered music icons such as Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, Roscoe Gordon and Junior Parker. Rufus continued to be an on-air personality at WDIA influencing musicians in the Memphis area for the next 40 years, while still creating and performing his own music.

In 1953, Rufus recorded the single, "Bear Cat" for the Memphis Recording Studio, later to be known as Sun Records. An answer song to Big Mama Thornton's then-popular record, "Hound Dog," it became the first national hit for the small record label. In 1959, Rufus and his daughter Carla became the first stars of the new Memphis label, Stax Records, with their recording of the single, "'Cause l Love You." Rufus would go on to release a string of popular songs over the following years for Stax. Among the songs that would reach prominence were favorites such as "Walking The Dog" (1964) and "Do The Funky Chicken" (1969). Throughout his career, Rufus appeared on the Billboard charts 29 times with the help of such singles as "Push and Pull" (1971) and "The Breakdown" (1971).

As a songwriter, Rufus' music, with its funky mix of Memphis soul and blues, had an appeal that crossed all genres. His original songs were recorded by many of his musical contemporaries, including artists such as Buddy Miles, Booker T & The MG's and King Curtis. Many rock musicians, ready to acknowledge their passion for the "true Memphis sound," also recorded their own versions of Rufus' songs. The roster is a proverbial "who's who" of some of the most important names in rock history including The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Small Faces, Spencer Davis Group, The Troggs, Kingfish, Charlie Daniels Band, Rick Derringer and Rodger Daltrey.

Rufus' legendary personality didn't escape the awe of Hollywood either. He was cast in a number of major motion pictures including Mystery Train (1989), Great Balls of Fire (1989), A Family Thing (1996), and Cookie's Fortune (1999). He was a featured performer in the music documentary Wattstax (1973, DVD-2004), which chronicles what became known as the "Black Woodstock," a landmark concert event at the L.A Forum in August of 1972. Most recently, Quentin Tarantino tipped his hat to Rufus in his 2004 release Kill Bill Vol. 2, casting Samuel L. Jackson as Rufus' piano player.

Rufus never stopped the ride. During the 1980s and 90s, he remained an entertaining and influential radio personality in Memphis and continued to record and perform until his death in 2001. In 1992, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation honored him with its prestigious Pioneer Award. Rufus was a featured performer at the 1996 Olympic Games and in 1997 received the ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award. The City of Memphis also recognized him by renaming a portion of Beale Street in his honor, where they erected a permanent roadside plaque highlighting his achievements and influences. One of his last live performances was captured in the documentary film Only The Strong Survive, (Miramax 2003), which the filmmakers dedicated in his honor.

Throughout the highlights of its history, the Memphis music and entertainment scene was graced with the energy, charisma and generosity of one of its most talented performers. As Rufus said, "All my life I wanted to be an entertainer. My models were Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong and a fellow named Gatemouth Moore. They were all good entertainers, very versatile, always able to do more than one thing…and they helped, they made a way if they could, for somebody else to make it, too. Well, I believe that was my whole work, helping people. And still is. It's enough room for everybody to be on top. Ain't nothing but room up there."