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
Turn Your Damper Down
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn your damper down baby
Turn your damper down oh
I smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down baby
Turn your damper down
If your house catches fire
And there ain′t no water around
Throw your tub out the window
Let it burn on down
Smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down baby
Turn your damper down
Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama
Mama you better come get sis
She's out in the backyard
Trying to do that twist
Cause I smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
I smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down baby
Turn your damper down
I wonder baby
Will a matchbox hold my clothes?
I told you about it baby
You put my box outdoors
Smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Turn your damper down
Smell your bread burning
Turn your damper down baby
Turn your damper down
Baby, baby, baby turn it down
Baby, baby, baby, baby turn it down
Turn it down
Turn it down
Turn it down
Turn it down
Turn it way, way down
Turn it down
Turn it down
Turn your damper down.
The song "Turn Your Damper Down" by Rufus Thomas has a simple yet catchy melody with lyrics that depict a daily life scenario with a humorous twist. The song starts with Rufus Thomas smelling bread burning and telling someone to turn their damper down. The damper is a mechanism that regulates the flow of air in a fireplace, and turning it down can help prevent the fire from burning too hot.
The next verse talks about the consequences of a house catching on fire and instructs the listener to throw their tub out the window if there is no water around. It is followed by a playful line where Thomas tells his mama to come and get his sister who is trying to do the twist while the bread is burning. The bridge of the song has Thomas wondering if his clothes will fit in a matchbox and telling his partner to put his box outside. The last verse reiterates the need to turn the damper down with a repeated chorus.
Throughout the song, Thomas uses humor and simple language to convey the message of the importance of being responsible and taking precautions to avoid unnecessary accidents.
Line by Line Meaning
I smell your bread burning
I can smell something burning, specifically bread
Turn your damper down baby
Reduce the amount of air flowing into the oven by adjusting the damper so that the bread doesn't burn
Turn your damper down oh
Again, the singer is imploring the listener to decrease the heat in the oven
If your house catches fire
A hypothetical scenario is presented in which the house is on fire
And there ain't no water around
The potential rescue options are limited since there is no water nearby
Throw your tub out the window
As a last-ditch effort, throw a bathtub out of a window to create a means of putting out the fire
Let it burn on down
Accept the loss of the house and its contents
Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama
The artist is calling out to their mother
Mama you better come get sis
The artist's sister is in trouble or causing problems and needs their mother's attention
She's out in the backyard
The sister is outside
Trying to do that twist
The sister is attempting to dance the Twist, a popular dance of the time
Cause I smell your bread burning
The artist is still smelling the burning bread and is trying to get their sister to recognize the seriousness of the situation
I wonder baby
The singer poses a question or expresses a thought
Will a matchbox hold my clothes?
The singer is pondering the usefulness of a matchbox to hold their clothes
I told you about it baby
The singer previously mentioned the issue of using a matchbox for clothing storage to their partner or someone else
You put my box outdoors
Despite the artist's concerns, their partner or someone else still put the box of clothes outside
Baby, baby, baby turn it down
The artist is again urging someone to reduce the heat in the oven
Baby, baby, baby, baby turn it down
The previous line is repeated for emphasis
Turn it down
The singer is imploring someone to adjust the oven's temperature
Turn it down
Again, the artist is urging the listener to decrease the oven's heat
Turn it way, way down
The artist wants the oven's temperature to be significantly reduced
Turn it down
The final line is again a plea to lower the oven's heat
Writer(s): Rufus Thomas
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Benji B-Side
Amazing!!! This man had funk to the core!