Rufus Thomas – I’ll Be A Good Boy

• A mainstay of the Memphis blues, R&B and soul scenes from the mid-1940s until his death in 2001, the sometime DJ who billed himself on radio as ‘the world’s oldest teenager’ was the only man to record for the Bluff City’s three major independent record labels (Sun, Stax and Hi) and a lot more besides.
• With daughter Carla, Rufus Thomas more or less started the Stax label on its road to success, being one of the first and indeed also the last people to have a 45 issued by the label. Prior to that he’d built a career that began as a tap dancer in the 1930 to a point where he made his first records in the late 1940s. In this collection you can hear just about everything Rufus cut between our title track – his first release – up to his first Stax solo hit ‘The Dog’ in 1962.
• Rufus’ musical journey up to that point and beyond mirrors the evolution of the black American music scene in the south across the same time frame. Only a few of these records were anything more than local hits, but they all contribute significantly to a much bigger catalogue that is one of the most consistent of any artist whose career stretched across eight decades!
• If you want to find out where The Memphis Sound (of soul, anyway) began, this is a very good place to start looking.

Track Listing

1. I’LL BE A GOOD BOY - Rufus Thomas
2. I’M SO WORRIED - Rufus Thomas
3. WHO’S THAT CHICK - Rufus Thomas
4. DOUBLE TROUBLE - Rufus Thomas
5. BEER BOTTLE BOOGIE - Mr. Swing with Bobby Plater and his Orchestra
6. GONNA BRING MY BABY BACK - Mr. Swing with Bobby Plater and his Orchestra
7. NIGHT WORKIN’ BLUES - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
8. WHY DID YOU DEEGEE? - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
9. CRAZY ABOUT YOU BABY - Rufus Thomas and his Orchestra
10. NO MORE DOGGIN’ AROUND - Rufus Thomas and his Orchestra
11. DECORATE THE COUNTER - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
12. JUANITA - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
13. MARRIED WOMAN - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
14. I’M OFF THAT STUFF - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
15. BEAR CAT (The Answer To Hound Dog) - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
16. WALKIN’ IN THE RAIN - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
17. TIGER MAN (King Of The Jungle) - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
18. SAVE THAT MONEY - Rufus Thomas, Jr.
19. THE EASY LIVIN’ PLAN - Rufus ‘Bearcat’ Thomas with the Bearcats
20. I’M STEADY HOLDIN’ ON - Rufus ‘Bearcat’ Thomas with the Bearcats
21. CAUSE I LOVE YOU - Carla and Rufus
22. DEEP DOWN INSIDE - Carla and Rufus
23. I DIDN’T BELIEVE - Rufus and Friend
24. YEAH, YEA-AH - Rufus and Friend
25. IT’S AW’ RITE - Rufus Thomas
26. CAN’T EVER LET YOU GO - Rufus Thomas
27. DO THE DOG - Rufus Thomas
28. DID YOU EVER LOVE A WOMAN? - Rufus Thomas