Rufus Payne was an early 20th century American blues musician from Greenville, Alabama who was more widely known by his nickname of Tee Tot. Rufus's nickname of "Tee-Tot" is a pun for "teetotaler". It is said that Rufus 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.. It was his influence in exposing Williams to blues and other African American influences that 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. Key details of Rufus 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, Rufus 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. Rufus Payne died at a charity hospital in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17, 1939. The age of Rufus Payne upon his death was unknown but it was thought at the time that he was around the age of 55 when he died.
