Born in Bienville Parish, Rufus "Rip" Wimberly made his home in Tallulah, Louisiana. As a teenager he worked in the sawmill by day and played pool halls and juke joints by night. A noted blues guitarist and vocalist, he collaborated early with Willie Dixon and Guitar Slim, and later performed at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, Louisiana Folklife Fest, and Pig Fest. His journey and album "Highway 80 Blues" were featured in Living Blues Magazine as a celebration of a life well lived and loved.