Rufus Thomas, Jr. (March 27, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian from Memphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the father of soul singer Carla Thomas and keyboard player Marvell Thomas. A third child, Vaneese, a former French teacher, has a recording studio in upstate New York and sings for television commercials.
Rufus Thomas has 11 screen credits in a career dating back to 1973. Signature works include Only the Strong Survive, All Day and All Night: Memories from Beale Street Musicians, Wattstax. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
