About this Event
đś The Fabulous Thunderbirds
đ
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
â° Time: 7:30 PM
đ Location: Arlington Music Hall, 224 N Center St., Arlington, TX 76011
⨠Blues Rock at Its Finest!
Donât miss the legendary Fabulous Thunderbirds as they bring their high-energy blues rock to Arlington Music Hall. With iconic hits like âTuff Enuffâ and âWrap It Up,â this is your chance to experience one of the most celebrated blues bands live in action.
đ˘ One night onlyâgrab your tickets today!
đ Get Your Tickets at arlingtonmusichall.org or call 817.226.4400.
đ¸ #FabulousThunderbirds #BluesRock #LiveMusic #ArlingtonMusicHall #TexasEvents #ConcertNight #BluesFans #DontMissOut
THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS
For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The groupâs distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as âTuff Enuffâ and âWrap It Upâ. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.
âWe started as a straight blues bandâ, vocalist and harmonica player Wilson says. âWe now incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles. Weâre an American music band and weâre much higher energy than we were before.â
âTo be in the T-Birds, you need to understand the different styles of music and different ways of playing,â Wilson comments. âYou have to be willing to adopt a more contemporary style. The guys we have now are able to do that.â
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.
âIâve primarily been a solo songwriter, but Iâm looking forward to experimenting with the guys in the band,â Wilson says.
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 ân roll. In fact, Muddy Waters called Wilson his favorite harmonica player and vocalist. âMuddy Waters was very good to me,â Wilson says. âHe almost adopted me. Iâll never forget him.â
For Kim Wilson, the musical journey started in Goleta, California. At 17 he began playing the harmonica. His influences included Little Walter, George âHarmonicaâ Smith, Lazy Lester and James Cotton. At the same time, Wilson began singing and was deeply impacted by Bobby âBlueâ 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. âThings were wide open back then,â Wilson recalls. âThere were hundreds of stages where bands could show what they had.â
In subsequent releases, the band started to incorporate more Cajun, rock ân roll and soul influences. The album âT-Bird Rhythmâ 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, âTuff Enuffâ. The single of the same title as well as the singles âWrap It Upâ and âLook At Thatâ, all went top 40. The song, âTuff Enuffâ was featured in the film âGung Hoâ starring Michael Keaton.
For the remainder of the â80s, the band continued to record and tour, and released the album, âPowerful Stuffâ. 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.
âThe thing about the T-Birds is that we can play both blues festival and rock venues,â Wilson comments. âWeâre a diversified band now and everybodyâs on the same page.â
The lineup:
Kim Wilson â lead vocals, harmonica
Johnny Moeller â guitar
Bob Welsh â piano / guitar
Rudy Albin â drums
Steve Kirsty â bass
Johnny Moller (guitar)
Johnny Moellerâs developed into one of the genreâs most stunning and soulful six-string stylists with an uncanny ability to support heavy hitters. Although his most visible gig the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Moellerâs also the Severn Records house guitarist. In that role, he has lent artful licks to albums by stellar vocalists Darrell Nulisch and Lou Pride, harmonica ace Steve Guyger, and others. Johnny has three solo releases to his credit: 1996âs âThe Return of the Funky Wormâ, 2001âs âJohnny Blues Aggregationâ and âBloogalooâ in 2010.
Bob Welsh (piano / guitar)
Hailing from Covington, LA, Bob moved to the Bay Area in his late teens, where heâs been part of the roots music scene for almost twenty years. He started out in the Rusty Zinn band, and from there has backed up & toured with multiple luminaries all over the world, including Charlie Musselwhite, John Nemeth, Mark Hummel, and several others. He was nominated for the Grammy Award for âBest Traditional Blues Albumâ twice, both times as part of Elvin Bishopâs Big Fun Trio.
Rudy Albin (drums)
From Vancouver, B.C., Rudy Albin has had a long association with Jazz/Blues organist Jack McDuff, appearing on five of his records. Albin has also worked extensively with both the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras. More recently, he has been an A-list hired gun with the Brooklyn based Daptone âRetro Soulâ Label, touring and recording with the Sugarman 3, Lee Fields, and The James Hunter 6.
Steve Kirsty (bass)
Born in Schenectady, NY; residing in Jersey City, NJ, Steven was born into a family of musicians & music teachers. He has performed throughout America, Spain, and Israel with numerous blues and jazz artists. Steven is also a saxophonist and piano tuner/technician. His playing is featured on albums such as Charles Cornellâs âTime Talesâ & âYour Choiceâ, Nic Cacioppoâs âTime in Motionâ & âBeginning to Endâ, and Vin Mottâs âRogue Hunterâ & âCountry Bluesâ.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Arlington Music Hall, 224 N Center St, Arlington, United States
USD 38.60 to USD 108.68