When it stretches back as far as 1967 for 'Sophisticated Cissy,' theres a refreshing injection of more soul-grounded chops, female backup vocals, and. Francis Hospital in Memphis after a short illness. Rufus Thomas is cool, but hes not James Brown (though the scratchy guitar and jerky rhythms of 1972s 'Itch and Scratch (Part 1)' certainly owe a lot to Brown), nor are the backup musicians. He's one of the main players in the 1973 film about Stax Records called Wattstax and appeared in a highly underrated film called A Family Thing starring James Earl Jones in 1996. Rufus Thomas, the jovial patriarch of Memphis soul, who billed himself as the worlds oldest teenager, died on Saturday at 84. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. Rufus appeared in one movie by Jim Jarmusch ( Mystery Train) and one by Robert Altman ( Cookie's Fortune). (Ma December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. But the documentary-directed by Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker (, The War Room)-was not his first film. It's possible he'll turn up there on film next year, which wouldn't be so bad. I don't think he had any regrets but he did tell me the one thing he hadn't done in his spectacular life was play the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. To us-and to all the people of Memphis-Rufus was one of a kind and the last real senior statesmen of soul. He met each one with style and grace, accepting the honors they bestowed. Whether it was the late Johnny Taylor or a flock of gospel singers, they all wanted to meet him and shake his hand. That weekend he and Carla performed at a benefit for Luther Ingram, the singer of "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)." Rufus was greeted by every single performer over the 12 hour concert with respect as Soul Man Eminence Grise, the King of Soul. He was still doing the weekly radio show, had just released a new album on the High Stacks label out of Memphis, and was gigging whenever possible. I had the good fortune to meet Rufus and get to know him and Carla two summers ago for a feature documentary called Only the Strong Survive.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |