![]() A different "Gee Whiz" song was climbing the charts by a Southern Cal trio, The Innocents, so Carla's tender ballad was retitled "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)." Due to to legal conflicts with a previously-established (and now forgotten) Satellite label, Jim rechristened his label Stax, while Carla's Atlantic single went top ten on pop and R&B charts in March 1961 during her first year of college at Tennessee A&I University. Wexler saw potential in her and offered a distribution deal Stewart, in a crunch for money, agreed to terms that would expose Carla's product far beyond the southern region. When VJ didn't bite, Carla was signed to a contract with Satellite and her song was pressed and prioritized. ![]() Atlantic's Jerry Wexler showed some interest after the song received considerable airplay in Memphis, though national distribution on Atco didn't pan out.Ĭarla also recorded a song she had written, "Gee Whiz" ('.there are things we could do, I could say I love you.but all I can say is.'), and Rufus approached Vee-Jay in Chicago with the master without realizing Stewart was more interested in the 18-year-old as a solo artist than he'd been letting on. In the summer of 1960, Stewart issued it on Satellite as a Carla and Rufus single. "Cause I Love You" was written on the spot by Rufus and ad-libbed to some degree by dad and daughter. ![]() Jones playing sax prior to making his name as a keyboard wizard. They taped a couple of duets at home on a reel-to-reel machine with backing from a few local musicians including son Marvell on piano and Booker T. Carla, a student at Hamilton High who had sung live on Rufus's radio show at around the age of eight, joined in 1959 and rose to the forefront, helping ease her transition to studio recording of course it didn't hurt that her pop was an established singer with extensive experience and knowledge of the business. Williams formed The Teen-Town Singers in the late '40s to showcase talented high schoolers in the area. But the phrase contained the ring of truth. The middle child was the most successful, arguably even more than her dad Carla Thomas eventually became known in some circles as the "Memphis Queen of Soul," a nickname that was at least partly hype. His son, Marvell Thomas, who was 19 in 1960, fit in rather quickly as a regular pianist for recording sessions Daughter Vaneese Thomas, an infant at the time, had limited success as a singer many years later. He started making records in the early '50s and scored a hit in 1953 with "Bear Cat," a raunchy answer to "Big Mama" Thornton's classic "Hound Dog." When Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton started the Satellite label in the late '50s, it wasn't too long before Rufus hit them up about laying down some sides. Starting in the late 1940s, Thomas was a popular personality on AM 730 WDIA, significant for being the first radio station to exclusively target a black listenership. ![]() It's no wonder the children of Memphis-bred showbiz luminary Rufus Thomas, Jr. ![]()
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