Rufus Payne

It is said that Payne received his nickname because he usually carried a homemade mixture of alcohol and tea wherever he went.

]; others state that he led a little combo that played pop songs and hokum numbers and was a street musician.

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.

Payne died at a charity hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 17, 1939, at the age of 56.

[5][6] He was portrayed by actor Rex Ingram in the 1964 Hank Williams biopic Your Cheatin' Heart.