March 26, 1917: The Birth of Rufus Thomas, Beale Street’s “World’s Oldest Teenager”

Quick Facts

• Date of birth: March 26, 1917
• Birthplace: Cayce, Mississippi (just south of Memphis); moved to Memphis as a young child, about 1921
• Key roles: Beale Street Palace Theater emcee; longtime WDIA deejay; recording artist for Sun and Stax Records
• Notable records: “Bear Cat” (1953, early Sun hit); “Walking the Dog” (1963); “Do the Funky Chicken” (1969–70)
• Honor: Hernando Street off Beale renamed Rufus Thomas Boulevard (1997)
• Died: December 15, 2001, Memphis, Tennessee

Main Story

Born on March 26, 1917, in Cayce, Mississippi, Rufus C. Thomas Jr. grew up in Memphis and became one of the Bluff City’s most enduring cultural ambassadors. As a teenager and young adult he sharpened his stagecraft on Beale Street, first assisting and then succeeding his mentor Nat D. Williams as master of ceremonies for the Palace Theater’s famed amateur nights. Thomas joined WDIA—“the Mother Station of the Negroes”—where his on-air personality amplified local rhythm and blues to a broad regional audience.

On records, Thomas bridged eras. In the 1950s he cut blues and jump sides for Chess and Sun; his witty answer record “Bear Cat” (1953) became an early success for Sun. A decade later at Stax Records, Thomas and daughter Carla helped fuel the label’s rise; his dance-driven sides such as “Walking the Dog” and later “Do the Funky Chicken” made him a national name while keeping Beale Street showmanship at the fore. Throughout, Thomas embodied the energy, humor, and community spirit that define Memphis history and the 901.

Legacy

Memphis honored Thomas’s eight decades of entertaining and mentoring by renaming a portion of Hernando Street as Rufus Thomas Boulevard in 1997, steps from Beale Street and Handy Park. The recognition reflects how his career connected the city’s live stages, groundbreaking Black radio, and the studios of Sun and Stax. Today, museum exhibits and historical markers in the Bluff City and nearby Mississippi keep his story—and Memphis music’s story—alive for new generations.

Keywords: Memphis history, Beale Street, 901, Bluff City.

https://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/rufus-thomas, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/rufus-thomas/, https://memphismusichalloffame.com/inductee/rufusthomas/, https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-158/issue-52/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E495-2