With their fusion of
blues,
rock & roll, and
R&B,
the Fabulous Thunderbirds helped popularize roadhouse
Texas blues with a mass audience in the '80s and, in the process, they helped kick-start a
blues revival during the mid-'80s. During their heyday in the early '80s, they were the most popular attraction on the
blues bar circuit, which eventually led to a breakthrough to the pop audience in 1986 with their fifth album,
Tuff Enuff. The mass success didn't last too long, and founding member
Jimmie Vaughan left in 1990, but
the Fabulous Thunderbirds remained one of the most popular
blues concert acts in America during the '90s.
Guitarist
Jimmie Vaughan formed
the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist/harpist
Kim Wilson in 1974; in addition to
Vaughan and
Wilson, the band's original lineup included bassist Keith Ferguson and drummer Mike Buck.
Initially, the group also featured vocalist
Lou Ann Barton, but she left the band shortly after its formation. Within a few years,
the Thunderbirds became the house band for the Austin club Antone's, where they would play regular sets and support touring
blues musicians. By the end of the decade, they had built a strong fan base, which led to a record contract with the local Takoma Records.
Although
the Fabulous Thunderbirds had become favorites of fellow musicians -- they opened shows for
the Rolling Stones and
Eric Clapton -- and had been critically well-received, their records didn't sell particularly well. Chrysalis dropped the band following the release of
T-Bird Rhythm, leaving the band without a record contract for four years. While they were in limbo, they continued to play concerts across the country. During this time, bassist Keith Ferguson left the band and was replaced by Preston Hubbard, another former member of
Roomful of Blues. In 1985, they finally landed another record contract, signing with Epic/Associated.
After the deal with Epic/Associated was complete,
the T-Birds entered a London studio and recorded their fifth album with producer
Dave Edmunds. The resulting album,
Tuff Enuff, was released in the spring of 1986 and, unexpectedly, became a major crossover success. The title track was released as a single and its accompanying video received heavy play on MTV, which helped the song reach the American Top Ten. The success of the single sent the album to number 13 on the charts;
Tuff Enuff would eventually receive a platinum record. "Wrap It Up," a cover of an old
Sam & Dave song, was the album's second single and it became a Top Ten album rock track. Later in 1986,
the T-Birds won the
W.C. Handy Award for best blues band.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds' follow-up to
Tuff Enuff, Hot Number, arrived in the summer of 1987. Initially, the album did fairly well -- peaking at number 49 on the charts and spawning the Top Ten album rock hit "Stand Back" -- but it quickly fell off the charts. Furthermore, its slick, radio-ready sound alienated their hardcore following of
blues fans. "Powerful Stuff," a single from the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise film Cocktail, became a number-three-album rock hit in the summer of 1988. It was included on the following year's Powerful Stuff album, which proved to be a major commercial disappointment -- it only spent seven weeks on the charts.
In 2004,
Wilson reassembled the band yet again adding retro blues sensation guitarist Nick Curran and equally talented West Coast guitarist Kirk Eli Fletcher. The newly annointed group released Painted On on Tone Cool records in 2005. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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