The above biography taken from: Wikipedia - Rufus Thomas
The Crown Prince of Dance; an early rock & roll DJ, Memphis soul icon and creator of the Funky Chicken.
Artist Biography (below) by Richie Unterberger
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.
The above biography taken from: All Music Biography - Rufus Thomas by Richie Unterberger
Bear Cat
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, you ain't nothin' but a bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
You ain't nothin' but a bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
You can purr, pretty kitty
But I ain't gonna rub you no more
But I can see through that
You said you was a long-hair
But I can see through that
And mama I know
You're just an old bear cat
You ain't nothin' but a bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
Ain't nothin' but a bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
You can purr pretty kitty
But I ain't gonna rub you no more
Whoa, rub ya
Whoa, git with it now
Git it, git it, git it, git it!
Oh, listen to that old cat
Meow, scat
Oh, tip it miss kitty
Tip it honey, tip it
I'm tellin' you honey
You made me feel so mean
Made me moan and groan
You made me feel so mean
You made me moan and groan
You ain't wantin' no man
You're just lookin' for an old soup bone
You ain't nothin' but a bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
You're just an old bear cat
Been scratchin' at my door
You can purr pretty kitty
But I ain't gonna rub you no more
The song "Bear Cat" by Rufus Thomas is a response to Big Mama Thornton's hit song "Hound Dog." While "Hound Dog" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952, it became a hit version in 1956 when it was covered by Elvis Presley. It was a song about a man who had had enough of a woman's cheating, and in "Bear Cat," Thomas takes a similar premise but flips the gender roles.
In "Bear Cat," Thomas sings to a woman who has been cheating on him, calling her a "bear cat" who has been scratching at his door. He also mocks her appearance, claiming she's not really a "long-hair" but an "old bear cat." Despite her attempts to seduce him with her "purring," he's not falling for it anymore. The song ends with Thomas telling her that she's not really interested in men, just looking for an old soup bone.
Overall, "Bear Cat" is a playful but cutting response to "Hound Dog" and a showcase for Thomas's humor and bluesy voice.
Line by Line Meaning
You know what you said about me, don't you woman?
You are aware of the words you spoke about me, aren't you, woman?
Well, you ain't nothin' but a bear cat
I don't think much of you, you're just an annoying woman
Been scratchin' at my door
You've been persistent and trying to get to me
You can purr, pretty kitty
You may act charming and sweet
But I ain't gonna rub you no more
But I'm not going to give in to your advances anymore
You said you was a long-hair
You claimed to be classy and sophisticated
But I can see through that
But I can tell the truth behind your facade
And mama I know
And I'm aware, woman
You're just an old bear cat
That you're just an unattractive, annoying woman
Whoa, rub ya
Whoa, get intimate with you
Whoa, git with it now
Whoa, start dancing now
Oh, listen to that old cat
Oh, listen to that woman
Meow, scat
Your behavior is unpleasant, go away
You made me feel so mean
You made me feel irritable and unhappy
Made me moan and groan
You made me complain and grumble
You ain't wantin' no man
You don't really want a man
You're just lookin' for an old soup bone
You're only looking for someone to use and discard
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Sam Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cliff bird
Elvis got sold cause all the other artists at sun was going to leave unless Elvis went as he was stealing everyone else's songs. he stole from Carl Perkins, Johnny cash, Jerry lee lewis and some other big name stars Sun had.
Sam was at fault for not checking if Elvis got permission from the song writers before allowing him to record their stuff. Ive got a lot of sun records and Elvis ripped off nearly all the other stars at sun.
But some of the sun stars were ripping off songs from others as well. 1 i remember was rocket 88 by Bill Haley and the saddlemen recorded in 1942 the 1st rock n roll song ever recorded.
that wasnt sun records but a few of the suns singers recorded it at sun as well.
Think the rules back then was an artist could only release a set amount of records a year in the USA so a lot used diff names when bringing out records to get around it. like buddy holly, buddy holy and the crickets and the crickets all the same group using diff names on the label to get around the law lol.
Elvis used bill black trio and the hill billy kid. used to have a book about sun records and all its stars and 1 photo in it of the hill billy kid was Elvis.
Hilmar Wensorra
In very loving memory of Mr. Rufus Thomas (1917 - 2001 R.I.P. // gone but NOT forgotten).
Frank Hyland
Great guitar work, makes the record.
coldwar1952
Joe Hill Louis sitting in....
Cora Visser
this is great to hear love it super brilliant.
Chris Mulwee
Rufus Thomas rerecorded this song sometime in the '60's, with a more funk-soul James Brown type of arrangement. The later recording is very hard to find, although I had it on a various artists CD that someone burned for me.
P K
Rufus Thomas went on to great fame and also the father of the great Carla Thomas
pampam696969
what an amazing kicking answer song to hounddog. aangh the good ole days when music was greatand had real meanings and told stories
Water Bottle362
I went there for a tour and it was so good that I miss it
Tom Baker
Where have I been all my life? Born in 1951 & only just heard this!! (Love it, though).
Martha aka/ Marti Whipple
So cute... Thank you Rodney Meade!