Rufus Payne
Encyclopedia
Rufus Payne was an early 20th century American
blues
musician
from Greenville
, Alabama
who was more widely known by his nickname
Tee Tot.
for "teetotaler
". It is said that Payne received his nickname because he usually carried a homemade mixture of alcohol
and tea
wherever he went.
Tee Tot is best known for being a mentor
to Hank Williams, Sr.. 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. Aside from Williams' own genius, some of the credit for the success of Williams' career has been credited to Tee Tot, who remained largely unknown outside of southern Alabama in his lifetime, but has now been elevated to iconic status by some due to his mentorship of Williams. "As unfashionable as it was to acknowledge the influence of black musicians, Hank later went out of his way to give Payne full credit." Talking to jazz
journalist Ralph J. Gleason the following year, he said, "I learned to play the guitar from an old colored man. … I'd give him fifteen cents, or whatever I could get a hold of for the lesson." Hank acknowledged Payne again during his Greenville Homecoming and apparently searched for him, but Payne had died." Lilly Williams, (Hank's mother) says she fed Payne in exchange for Williams' lessons, but memories of him are otherwise vague. Some say he played the blues alone, others say that he led a little combo that played pop songs and hokum numbers. Irene (Hank's sister) said that Payne once came to Lilly's house and told her that Hank was going to get both of them into trouble by following him around, which seems to imply that Hank was quite determined in his pursuit. "More than anything," said Walter McNeil, "I think Tee Tot helped Hank get beyond his shyness, and helped him project himself a little, little more, 'cause Hank was a shy person really. He had to lose that somehow, and I think Tee Tot was a big help to him in doing that." In 1951, Williams told the Montgomery Advertiser that Payne had given him “all the music training I ever had…”
Key details of Payne's life are still a mystery, his date of birth, mother and father are listed on his death certificate
as "Unknown". According to Alabama historian
Alice Harp, Payne was born around the year of 1884 on the Payne Plantation in Sandy Ridge, Lowndes County
, Alabama.
Hank Williams, Jr.
paid tribute to Tee Tot's influence on his father through "The Tee Tot Song" on his Almeria Club
album
.
Payne died at a charity hospital in Montgomery, Alabama
on March 17, 1939. The age of Payne upon his death was unknown but it was thought at the time that he was around the age of 55 when he died. Payne is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Montgomery. His gravesite is unknown, but a memorial stands near the entrance to the cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
from Greenville
Greenville, Alabama
Greenville is a city in Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 7,228. The city is the county seat of Butler County and is known as the Camellia City. The movement to change the Official Alabama State Flower from the goldenrod to the camellia originated in...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
who was more widely known by his nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Tee Tot.
Biography
Payne's nickname of "Tee Tot" is a punPun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
for "teetotaler
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
". It is said that Payne received his nickname because he usually carried a homemade mixture of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
wherever he went.
Tee Tot is best known for being a mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
to Hank Williams, Sr.. His influence in exposing Williams to blues and other African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
influences helped Williams successfully fuse hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and blues into his own unique style, which in turn expanded and exposed both white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
and black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
audiences to the differing sounds. Aside from Williams' own genius, some of the credit for the success of Williams' career has been credited to Tee Tot, who remained largely unknown outside of southern Alabama in his lifetime, but has now been elevated to iconic status by some due to his mentorship of Williams. "As unfashionable as it was to acknowledge the influence of black musicians, Hank later went out of his way to give Payne full credit." Talking to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
journalist Ralph J. Gleason the following year, he said, "I learned to play the guitar from an old colored man. … I'd give him fifteen cents, or whatever I could get a hold of for the lesson." Hank acknowledged Payne again during his Greenville Homecoming and apparently searched for him, but Payne had died." Lilly Williams, (Hank's mother) says she fed Payne in exchange for Williams' lessons, but memories of him are otherwise vague. Some say he played the blues alone, others say that he led a little combo that played pop songs and hokum numbers. Irene (Hank's sister) said that Payne once came to Lilly's house and told her that Hank was going to get both of them into trouble by following him around, which seems to imply that Hank was quite determined in his pursuit. "More than anything," said Walter McNeil, "I think Tee Tot helped Hank get beyond his shyness, and helped him project himself a little, little more, 'cause Hank was a shy person really. He had to lose that somehow, and I think Tee Tot was a big help to him in doing that." In 1951, Williams told the Montgomery Advertiser that Payne had given him “all the music training I ever had…”
Key details of Payne's life are still a mystery, his date of birth, mother and father are listed on his death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
as "Unknown". According to Alabama historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Alice Harp, Payne was born around the year of 1884 on the Payne Plantation in Sandy Ridge, Lowndes County
Lowndes County, Alabama
Lowndes County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of William Lowndes, a member of the United States Congress from South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,299...
, Alabama.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
paid tribute to Tee Tot's influence on his father through "The Tee Tot Song" on his Almeria Club
The Almeria Club Recordings
The Almeria Club Recordings is an album by American country music singer and songwriter Hank Williams, Jr. This album was released on January 8, 2002 on the Curb Records label. This album was said to be a "break-through" in the career of Hank Williams, Jr. He recorded most of the songs at "The...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
.
Payne died at a charity hospital in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
on March 17, 1939. The age of Payne upon his death was unknown but it was thought at the time that he was around the age of 55 when he died. Payne is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Montgomery. His gravesite is unknown, but a memorial stands near the entrance to the cemetery.