Rufus Thomas，Born on March 26, 1917, in Cayce, Mississippi, R&B and blues legend Rufus Thomas began his career in the 1930s as a comedian with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. In the 1940s he was a DJ on Memphis' WDIA radio, one of the few black-owned stations of that time. His talent shows influenced the careers of such R&B greats as Ike Turner, Bobby Bland and B.