The Fabulous Thunderbirds Celebrate 35 Years of Tuff Enuff

Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 8pm
presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

This performance is presented without an intermission.

Kim Wilson:  Lead Vocals, Harmonica
Steve Kirsty: Bass
Kris Jensen: Saxophone
Rudy Albin: Drums
Dean Shott:  Guitar
Bob Welsh: Piano
Jerry Weldon: Tenor Saxophone

For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up.” Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation. And this year his solo album Take Me Back is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

“We started as a straight blues band”, vocalist and harmonica player Wilson says. “We now incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles. We’re an American music band, and we’re much higher energy than we were before.”

The band continues to tour extensively, in both the U.S. and Europe. Wilson is currently writing songs on his own, with band members and other writers.

The thread throughout the T-Birds career has been the respect the group commanded for its peerless musicianship and devotion to the sounds of blues, R & B and rock ‘n roll. In fact, Muddy Waters called Wilson his favorite harmonica player and vocalist. “Muddy Waters was very good to me,” Wilson says. “He almost adopted me. I’ll never forget him.”

For Kim Wilson, the musical journey started in Goleta, California. At 17, he began playing the harmonica. His influences included Little Walter, George “Harmonica” Smith, Lazy Lester, and James Cotton. At the same time, Wilson began singing and was deeply impacted by Bobby “Blue” Bland, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rodgers, and Muddy Waters. In search of other musicians who shared his love of the blues, Wilson headed to Minneapolis. He stayed there for a year and a half, playing locally, before moving to the burgeoning music scene of Austin, Texas. It was there that he met Jimmie Vaughan and they founded the T-Birds in 1974. The band developed a reputation as a compelling live act and subsequently signed a record deal with CBS/Epic Records.

In 1979, The Fabulous Thunderbirds released their first self-titled album. Primarily blues influenced, it became a cult classic. “Things were wide open back then,” Wilson recalls. “There were hundreds of stages where bands could show what they had.”

In subsequent releases, the band started to incorporate more Cajun, rock ‘n roll and soul influences. The album T-Bird Rhythm marked a creative turning point for the group as it collaborated with noted producer Nick Lowe. In 1986, The Fabulous Thunderbirds reached a commercial peak with the album Tuff Enuff. The single of the same title as well as the singles “Wrap It Up” and “Look At That,” all went top 40. The song, “Tuff Enuff” was featured in the film Gung Ho starring Michael Keaton.

For the remainder of the ’80s, the band continued to record and tour, and released the album Powerful Stuff. Jimmie Vaughn left in 1989 but Wilson kept the group going, incorporating keyboards into the guitar-driven sound. Kim moved back to California in 1996, continuing to cultivate the T-Birds music.

“The thing about the T-Birds is that we can play both blues festival and rock venues,” Wilson comments. “We’re a diversified band now and everybody’s on the same page.”

Chris Palmer
Madison House
www.madisonhouseinc.com

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