Ruthie Foster and The Fabulous Thunderbirds

I have been going to see Ruthie Foster perform for about a decade now in venues from North Carolina to northern New Hampshire (also buying each of her CDs.) She just gets better and better. Her current band with Samantha on the drums and Larry on the bass is a great fit. Last night in Somerville Ruthie and her band were clearly enjoying the vibe from the audience. There is nothing better than great music when it moves the audience and then circles back to the performers. Keep on Ruthie!

The Fabulous Thunderbirds were an unrightfully overlooked band that should have garnered the recognition they deserved for their keen approach of making blues music. With Stevie Ray Vaughan’s brother, Jimmie Vaughan, being in the band and opening for well renowned musicians such as The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, it is baffling to try to figure out how The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ career didn’t explode. The Fabulous Thunderbirds are still putting on shows and knocking the audience off their feet with their high energy blues. When attending a concert of The Fabulous Thunderbirds you can tell that the band has a vast knowledge and deep appreciation for blues music. They can replicate all the blues styles to perfection and even blend the different blues genres together to create their own style. They commonly combine the Texas blues with swamp blues to get a dirty sound that makes the audience want to boogie. Their guitarists often use interesting effects such as tremolo and flange to get a rattling, hazy sound that adds to the uniqueness of the music. The band’s live music is filled with thunderous drumming, groovy bass boogies, face-melting guitar solos, and swampy harmonica playing. Kim Wilson sings with a deep, bass voice howling out his lyrics with deep soul and passion.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ music has even had an influence on the world of movies. Their music was frequently placed in ‘80s films such as Cocktail, Hot Pursuit, and Tough Guys. The band has also had a couple hits on the Billboard charts such as their single, “Tuff Enuff”. The Fabulous Thunderbirds is a band that knows their blues backwards and forwards, so if you are a blues purist, then the grammy nominated Fabulous Thunderbirds are destined to keep you enthused throughout their whole performance.