Rufus Thomas

American singer (1917–2001)
Person human Q1805782
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Rufus Thomas

Summary

Rufus Thomas is a human[1]. He was born in Cayce[2]. He was born on March 26, 1917[3]. He passed away in Memphis[4]. He died on December 15, 2001[5]. He worked as a singer[6], actor[7], musician[8], composer[9], and disc jockey[10]. He ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (574 views/month, #7,067 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Rufus Thomas was born in Cayce[2].
  • Rufus Thomas died in Memphis[4].
  • Rufus Thomas was born on March 26, 1917[3].
  • Rufus Thomas was born on January 1, 1917[12].
  • Rufus Thomas died on December 15, 2001[5].
  • Rufus Thomas died on January 1, 2001[13].
  • A child of Rufus Thomas was Carla Thomas[14].
  • A child of Rufus Thomas was Marvell Thomas[15].
  • Rufus Thomas held citizenship in United States[16].
  • English was Rufus Thomas's native language[17].
  • Rufus Thomas's professions included singer[6].
  • Rufus Thomas worked as an actor[7].
  • Rufus Thomas worked as a musician[8].
  • Rufus Thomas's professions included composer[9].
  • Rufus Thomas worked as a disc jockey[10].
  • Rufus Thomas's professions included dancer[18].
  • Rufus Thomas's field of work was music of the African diaspora[19].
  • Rufus Thomas's field of work was dance music[20].
  • Rufus Thomas's field of work was dance[21].
  • Rufus Thomas's field of work was performance artwork[22].
  • Rufus Thomas's education included a stint at Tennessee State University[23].
  • Rufus Thomas's education included a stint at Booker T. Washington High School[24].
  • Rufus Thomas is recorded as male[25].
  • Rufus Thomas's instance of is recorded as human[26].
  • Rufus Thomas's genre is rhythm and blues[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Rufus Thomas was born in Cayce[2]. Recorded date of birth include March 26, 1917[3] and January 1, 1917[12]. English was his native language[17].

Education

Educated at Tennessee State University[23], a public university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1912[30] and Booker T. Washington High School[24], a high school[31], in United States[32], founded in 1873[33].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include singer[6], actor[7], musician[8], composer[9], disc jockey[10], and dancer[18]. Fields of work include music of the African diaspora[19], a music by ethnic group[34]; dance music[20], a music genre[35]; dance[21], a performing arts genre[36]; and performance artwork[22].

Personal Life

Children include Carla Thomas[14], a singer[37], b. 1942[38], of United States[39] and Marvell Thomas[15], a keyboardist[40], 1941–2017[41], of United States[42].

Death and Burial

Recorded date of death include December 15, 2001[5] and January 1, 2001[13]. Rufus Thomas passed away in Memphis[4]. The cause of death was heart failure[43].

Why It Matters

Rufus Thomas ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (574 views/month, #7,067 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 15 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[44] He is known by 3 alternative names across languages and contexts.[45]

FAQs

Where was Rufus Thomas born?

Rufus Thomas was born in Cayce[2].

Where did Rufus Thomas die?

Rufus Thomas passed away in Memphis[4].

What did Rufus Thomas do for work?

Rufus Thomas worked as singer[6], actor[7], musician[8], composer[9], and disc jockey[10].

Where did Rufus Thomas go to school?

Rufus Thomas was educated at Tennessee State University[23] and Booker T. Washington High School[24].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [25] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [16] . wikidata.org.
  5. [26] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [14] . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] . wikidata.org.
  8. [23] . wikidata.org.
  9. [24] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [20] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [21] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [22] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [17] . wikidata.org.
  15. [6] . wikidata.org.
  16. [7] . wikidata.org.
  17. [8] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [9] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [10] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [18] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [27] . wikidata.org.
  22. [43] . wikidata.org.
  23. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [12] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [13] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [44] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [45] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Rufus Thomas. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/rufus-thomas
MLA “Rufus Thomas.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/rufus-thomas.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_rufus-thomas_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Rufus Thomas}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/rufus-thomas}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation singer, actor, musician +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31727|batch #31727]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (20)"
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