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
I'll Be a Good Boy
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and my baby had a few words last night
Baby let me tell you my - I haven't got the time to fight
Well I lay down just about a quarter to nine
Yes I laid down just about a quarter to nine
I went right on to sleep cos I was feeling fine
Didn't know what to do my baby had gone
Baby baby please come back to me
Well I'll be a good boy good as good can be
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
Well I'll be a good boy till my baby comes back to me
Woke up this morning all alone
Couldn't find my baby, my baby had gone
Baby baby please come back to me
Well I'll be a good boy good as good can be
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy
Well I'll be a good boy if my baby comes back to me
The lyrics to Rufus Thomas's "I'll Be a Good Boy" describe a situation where the singer and his partner had an argument the night before. The singer admits that he doesn't have the time or energy to fight, so he goes to bed. When he wakes up the next morning, he realizes that his partner has left him. The singer pleads for his partner to come back to him and promises to be a good boy if she returns.
The song has a classic blues feel and the lyrics touch on themes of love, loss, and redemption. The singer's use of the phrase "good boy" suggests that he has made mistakes in the past and is now trying to make amends. The repetition of the line "I'll be a good boy" emphasizes the singer's desire to change his ways and hope for his partner's return.
Overall, the song's lyrics paint a picture of a man who is willing to change and do whatever it takes to win back his partner's love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well me and my baby had a few words last night
Last night my partner and I had an argument
Baby let me tell you my - I haven't got the time to fight
I don't want to argue anymore
Yes I laid down just about a quarter to nine
I went to bed early
I went right on to sleep cos I was feeling fine
I fell asleep easily because I was relaxed
Didn't know what to do my baby had gone
I woke up alone and didn't know how to react
Baby baby please come back to me
I want my partner to return
Well I'll be a good boy good as good can be
I promise to behave well if my partner comes back
I'll be a good boy
I'll try my best to be cooperative
Well I'll be a good boy till my baby comes back to me
I'll be on my best behavior until my partner returns
Couldn't find my baby, my baby had gone
My partner was still missing
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOSEA, JOE, THOMAS, RUFUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carlyle Acosta
Saxophone by Evelyn "The Whip" Young (March 25, 1928 – October 2, 1990) who was an American saxophonist from Memphis, Tennessee,
At age 14, Young began playing saxophone professionally at Beale Street Chitlin' Circuit clubs run by Sunbeam Mitchell, while still enrolled at Manassas High School. In 1952, she formed a touring band with Bill Harvey for B.B. King in 1952, which lasted for eight years. From 1960 onward, she performed regularly at Mitchell's Club Handy, directing a 21-piece band there, and recorded with Little Richard, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Little Milton, Memphis Slim, and the Fieldstones.
Influence
Terry Johnson of the Stax session band the Mar-Keys recalls sneaking into Club Handy to hear Young play. In the documentary All Day and All Night: Memories from Beale Street Musicians, Young recalls B.B. King telling her that "everything I played on the saxophone was what he wanted to play on the guitar."
After her death, Fred Ford wrote that "She was as fine a musician as you'll ever hear . . . She never got the recognition she deserved in her lifetime, but she could sure play with anyone."
Selected recordings
Rufus Thomas, "I'll Be a Good Boy" (1950)
B.B. King, "3 O'Clock Blues" (1952)
MrBonifant
Recorded by Sam Phillips at the Club Tropicana, Memphis
Memphis Records
How can I confirm this info., that this was recorded at the Club Tropicana, Memphis and what were the circumstances? How did a Dallas, Texas label get with Sam Phillips? This is very cool! I have a copy of this on 78.