 For the past 25 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. In addition to Wilson, the current Thunderbirds line-up features Kid Ramos on guitar, Willy Campbell on bass (both formerly of the James Harmon Band), Richard Innes on drums (from the Hollywood Fats Band) and Gene Taylor on keyboards (from The Blasters). 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 1˝ years, 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. The band started to incorporate more Cajun, rock `n' roll and soul influences. 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.
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