▁we ▁didn ' t ▁come ▁close ▁to ▁being ▁as ▁good ▁as ▁Big ▁M ama . ▁She ▁could ▁have ▁done ▁that ▁song ▁a ▁c app ella ▁and ▁convinced ▁me ▁that , ▁by ▁God , ▁you ▁ain ' t ▁nothing ▁but ▁a ▁dam ned ▁h ound ▁dog !" ▁Thomas ▁was ▁diss atisf ied ▁with ▁the ▁result , ▁especially ▁Joe ▁Hill ▁Louis ' s ▁country - style ▁bl ues ▁guitar ▁playing . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 8 , ▁Robert ▁Pal mer ▁wrote : ▁" E ven ▁today , ▁R uf us ▁takes ▁per verse ▁delight ▁in ▁pointing ▁out ▁the ▁wrong ▁notes ▁in ▁Louis ' s ▁solo ." ▁ ▁Within ▁two ▁weeks , ▁" B ear ▁Cat " ▁( S un ▁ 1 8 1 ) ▁was ▁in ▁stores , ▁prompt ing ▁Billboard ▁to ▁describe ▁it ▁on ▁March ▁ 2 8 ▁as ▁" the ▁fast est ▁answer ▁song ▁to ▁hit ▁the ▁market ". ▁It ▁became ▁both ▁Thomas ' ▁and ▁Sun ▁Records ' ▁first ▁hit , ▁More ▁than ▁ 5 , 0 0 0 ▁copies ▁were ▁ordered ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁days ▁by ▁distrib utors , ▁and ▁by ▁mid - A pril ▁it ▁had ▁chart ed ▁nation ally , ▁eventually ▁reaching ▁number ▁three ▁on ▁the ▁R & B ▁charts . ▁However , ▁as ▁Phill ips ▁claimed ▁a ▁writing ▁credit ▁for ▁the ▁song , ▁a ▁copy right - in fr ing ement ▁suit ▁en su ed ▁that ▁nearly ▁bank rupted ▁Phill ips ' ▁record ▁label ." Bl ues ▁Leg end ▁R uf us ▁Thomas ▁Su cc umb s ▁at