Rufus Payne Explained

Rufus Payne
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Rufus Payne
Alias:Tee Tot
Birth Date:February 4, 1883
Birth Place:Greenville, Alabama, US
Death Date: (aged 56)
Death Place:Montgomery, Alabama, US
Origin:Montgomery, Alabama, US
Instrument:Vocals, guitar
Genre:Blues, gospel, country
Occupation:Singer-songwriter, musician
Associated Acts:Hank Williams

Rufus "Tee Tot" Payne (February 4, 1883 – March 17, 1939) was an early-20th-century African-American blues musician from Greenville, Alabama, who was more widely known by his nickname Tee Tot.

Payne's nickname of "Tee Tot" is an ironic pun for "teetotaler". It is said that Payne received his nickname because he usually carried a homemade mixture of alcohol and tea wherever he went.[1]

Early life

According to Alabama historian Alice Harp, Payne was born in 1883 on the Payne Plantation in Sandy Ridge, Lowndes County, Alabama.[2]

Career and influence

Some say Tee Tot played the blues alone; others state that he led a little combo that played pop songs and hokum numbers and was a street musician.

Tee Tot is best known for being a mentor to Hank Williams. Rufus Payne met Hank Williams when Hank was eight years old, and legend has it that he would come around and play Hank's guitar, showing Hank how to improvise chords. His influence in exposing Williams to blues and other African American influences helped Williams successfully fuse hillbilly, folk and blues into his own unique style, which in turn expanded and exposed both white and black audiences to the differing sounds.

Death

Payne died at a charity hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 17, 1939, at the age of 56.[3] He is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Montgomery; as the exact location of his gravesite is unknown, a memorial to him stands near the entrance to the cemetery, paid for by Hank Williams Jr. and other members of the Grand Ole Opry.[4]

Tributes

Hank Williams, Jr. paid tribute to Tee Tot's influence on his father through "The Tee Tot Song" on his Almeria Club album.[5] [6]

He was portrayed by actor Rex Ingram in the 1964 Hank Williams biopic Your Cheatin' Heart.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: That Nashville Sound: The Impact On Country Music By Rufus Payne. February 19, 2010. Thenashvillesound.blogspot.com. May 16, 2018.
  2. http://www.the9513.com/the-man-who-taught-hank-williams-how-to-play-guitar-the-story-of-rufus-payne The9513.com
  3. Web site: Hank Williams: The Biography Book Excerpt. https://web.archive.org/web/20120218033447/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1486323/hank-williams-the-biography-book-excerpt.jhtml. dead. February 18, 2012. Cmt.com. May 16, 2018.
  4. Web site: Rufus Payne's(Tee Tot's) Memorial- He was Hank Williams First Music Teacher . April 1, 2010 . Joeb-tallyho.blogspot.com . May 16, 2018.
  5. News: Hank's History . Berry . Chad . January 4, 2003 . 1D . The Tuscaloosa News . May 16, 2018.
  6. Web site: Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues . August 10, 2005 . Colin . Escott . Colin Escott . . July 7, 2020.
  7. News: Rex Ingram, the Actor, Dies in Hollywood at 73; His Portrayal of De Lawd in 'Green Pastures' Hailed-Medical School Graduate . September 20, 1969 . New York Times . July 7, 2020.