Rufus Thomas was a one-hit wonder of the early 60s when his song "Walking The Dog" peaked at #10 in 1963. This funk artist from Memphis did however, land some more Top 40 singles in the early 70s, including "Do The Funky Chicken" (#28), "(Do The) Push And Pull (Part 1)" (#25), "The Breakdown (Part 1)" (#31). His final chart appearance was in 1973 when "Do The Funky Penguin (Part 1)" reached #44. Thomas was the father of Carla Thomas, who actually hit the Top 10 before her dad did. Her big hit, "Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)" soared to #10 in 1961. Carla Thomas also released several successful duets with Otis Redding under the name Otis and Carla, as well as duets with her father. She was dubbed "The Queen of Memphis Soul." "The World Is Round" is an underrated favorite of mine, from his 1972 record, "Did You Heard Me?" Rufus Thomas passed away in 2001 at the age of 84.
The legendary Otis Redding was a masterful singer and songwriter from Georgia who was taken from us too soon, dying in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 26. His first chart hit was in 1963 when "These Arms of Mine" peaked at #85. By 1965, the world had caught onto his genius, and his Grammy Hall of Fame hit "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" reached #21. But his biggest and most widely known smash was recorded just 18 days before his death: "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" spent four weeks at #1. He continued to rack up more top 40 singles, and his final chart appearance was in 1969 when "Love Man" went to #72. His chart accomplishments through the 60s made him the 46th most successful artist of the decade. "Mr. Pitiful" is a wonderful song that nearly became his first Top 40 hit, reaching #41 in 1965.
There are a lot of shacks in Georgia. Not to be confused with the Love Shack made famous by the B-52's, here is Arthur Conley's song about Aunt Dora's shack. Conley is better known for his #2 hit, "Sweet Soul Music" from 1967. He had a few other minor hits covering other artists, including "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and "Shake, Rattle, and Roll". Conley was "discovered" by Otis Redding and was also a member of The Soul Clan. "Aunt Dora's Love Soul Shack" is a terrific but lesser known track from his catalogue, only reaching the #85 spot in 1968.
