Soul singer Rufus Thomas, who liked to call himself "the world's oldest teenager", has died aged 84.

Thomas, who had a history of heart trouble, died in Memphis on Saturday, apparently of heart failure.

The singer, who was also a DJ and songwriter, had a 70-year career that began in a racially-segregated minstrel show.

He was best-known for a series of novelty dance records, most famously Walkin' The Dog in 1963 and Do The Funky Chicken - a UK number 18 in 1970.

Minstrel show

Born on 26 March 1917 in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Memphis as a small boy and started performing as a tap-dancer at the age of 10.

In 1936 he joined the Rabbit Foot Minstrel Show, an all-black revue that toured the southern US, playing for segregated crowds in a tent.

His recording debut came in 1943 with I'll Be A Good Boy and a few years later he began working as a DJ on WDIA-AM, a radio station targeted at black audiences - and listened to by the young Elvis Presley.

Thomas also recorded for the Sun label, later identified with Presley, and helped launched the important soul label Stax with 'Cause I Love You, a duet with his daughter Carla, later a star in her own right.

He remained a busy live performer through middle age and into his old age, singing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and was known for his outrageous stage appearances in capes, hot pants, feathers, sequins and platform boots.

Recognised as a musical pioneer as well as a great performer, Thomas had a Memphis street named after him, and was honoured with a Pioneer Award by the R&B Foundation in 1992.