With hits like “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up,” the Fabulous Thunderbirds have been a quintessential American band for more than three decades.
“We started as a straight blues band but now we incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles,” said Kim Wilson, who co-founded the band and is the sole original member. “We’re an American music band and we’re much higher energy than we were before.”
At just 17, Wilson began playing harmonica in some local California bands and eventually headed to Texas where he met Jimmie Vaughn. The two founded the T-Birds in 1974 and the band developed a reputation as a compelling live blues act. They spent the next 15 years being beloved by the music industry.
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Influences like Muddy Waters, Otis Reading and B.B. King helped lead Wilson and The Fabulous Thunderbirds to record 20 albums, sell millions of records and earn multiple Blues awards and Grammy nominations.
“I give credit to all the blues and R&B performers that were such an early influence on me,” Wilson said. “But I also like to put my own whammy on things.”
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Vaughn left the band in 1989 but Wilson kept the group going, incorporating keyboards into the guitar-driven sound.
Wilson takes great pride in the success of the band and sees big things ahead as it heads into its newest incarnation. In addition to Wilson on harmonic and lead vocals, the current Thunderbirds line-up features Jay Moeller on drums, Johnny Moeller and Mike Keller on guitar, and Randy Bermudes on bass.
“I surrounded myself with some younger people and I am trying to nurture some of the younger guys who I think are going in the right direction,” Wilson said. “To be in the T-Birds, you need to understand the different styles of music and different ways of playing. You have to be willing to adopt a more contemporary style. The guys we have now are able to do that.”
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.
“I love the improvisation of it all, that’s the nature of this music,” Wilson said. “It’s all about enjoyment. If you are living some punch-card musical existence, you have no business being on a stage.”
They are also known for their relentless touring, regularly playing U.S. and European dates.
“I feel bad for these big rock stars who go on tour every three years,” he said. “What does that do to your music? You need to be out there constantly and honing your craft. That’s what I have always done and playing live is a big part of being a musician.”
Tonight, the Fabulous Thunderbirds will be hitting the State Theatre and proving why they are one of the top touring bands out there today.
“I’m getting better every time I hit the stage,” Wilson said. “It’s better because I am wigging it and enjoying it.”
Don’t be surprised to see Wilson journey out into the State Theatre crowd and interact while the show is going on, as he enjoys keeping things fresh and excited.
“You always see something different with us. I don’t have a set list, I just call off songs and that’s how it’s always been,” Wilson said. “I enjoy the spontaneity and after all these years, they may even see something I have never done before. That’s what life is all about, not just music.”
