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
Did You Ever Love a Woman
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you loved her with all your might
Did you ever love a woman
And you loved her with all your might
Well, and you knew all the time
That the woman wasn't treating you right
You fix her breakfast in the morning
Even wash the dishes
If she has to go away
You send the children to school
Even mend their hose
Stay up all nights with the babies
Even wash their dirty clothes
Did you ever love a woman
And you loved her with all your might
Yes, and you knew all the time
That the woman wasn't treating you right
But when it's time to go to bed
The woman grabs you in her arms
She holds you real tight
She hugs you with all her charms
She calls you a lot of sweet names
Then she turns out the light
She sets your soul on fire
And you say, "baby, everything is all right"
Did you ever love a woman
And you loved her with all your might
Yes, and you knew all the time
That the woman wasn't treating you right
In Rufus Thomas's song "Did You Ever Love A Woman," the lyrics explain the experience of loving a woman with all your heart, even though you know she isn't treating you right. The song tells a story of a man who goes above and beyond for his woman, doing everything from fixing her breakfast in the morning to washing the dishes and clothes, and even staying up all night with the babies. Even though he knows that she isn't treating him right, he still loves her with all his might.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you ever love a woman
Have you ever been in love with a woman?
And you loved her with all your might
Were you fully devoted to her and in love passionately?
Well, and you knew all the time
Despite this commitment, were you aware of something wrong?
That the woman wasn't treating you right
Did she not treat you as you expected and deserved?
You fix her breakfast in the morning
Did you attend to her needs by preparing her breakfast every morning?
Stay at home everyday
Did you spend all your days at home while she was away?
Even wash the dishes
Did you even clean the dishes after her meals?
If she has to go away
Did you take care of everything at home when she was away?
You send the children to school
Did you take care of the children's needs by sending them to school?
Even mend their hose
Did you mend their torn stockings and other clothes?
Stay up all nights with the babies
Did you spend sleepless nights taking care of the babies?
Even wash their dirty clothes
Did you clean their dirty clothes without expecting any praise?
But when it's time to go to bed
However, when you both went to bed...
The woman grabs you in her arms
...did she physically express her love and affection?
She holds you real tight
...did she hold you with an intimate and warm embrace?
She hugs you with all her charms
...did she use all her sweet and loving gestures to make you feel special?
She calls you a lot of sweet names
...did she shower you with sweet names and compliments?
Then she turns out the light
...did she create a romantic atmosphere by turning off the lights?
She sets your soul on fire
...did she ignite a passionate fire within you with her love-making?
And you say, "baby, everything is all right"
...did you overlook her faults and embrace her love, feeling content despite everything?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DWIGHT MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anthony Chaney
This is the best blues joint by Rufus...
LondonSoulMan
Haven't heard this for years, used to love The Dog and the other Dog tracks he recorded, so popular on the Mod scene in the early 60s. Steve Cropper was a brilliant guitarist.
lrh1966
He was great and is rather underrated in today's music world, and it would be cool to see and hear any performances he might have done in movies or on TV back in the day. Thanks for listening to this song selection...Friends, Lloyd.
firetopman
Speechless. Singing and playing were outstanding.
lrh1966
Thanks for listening and have an awesome day from Lloyd.
Harry D Potter Jr
Wurlitzer and Rock-O-La juke boxes made their fortunes off me from playing this one song while I was in the service. For me, this is without a doubt Rufus's best, and Steve Cropper never played a better blues quitar.
Keith Randall
Otis Redding's Rock Me Baby was far superior, guitar-wise; I love Cropper but I don't think much of this.
lrh1966
@wixomwizard That is very cool hearing about your joy in hearing it in the jukebox brands you mentioned, it makes this record hobby more fun, interesting, and meaningful when I hear about someone's past memories with a particular song that I have posted...Friends, Lloyd.
Steve
Unmistakable Stax sound
Anthony Chaney
The unmistakable Stax/Atlantic sound!