Kim Wilson

Kim Wilson

born on 6/1/1951 in Detroit, MI, United States

Kim Wilson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kim Wilson (born January 6, 1951) is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the Fabulous Thunderbirds on two hit songs of the 1980s, "Tuff Enuff"[1] and "Wrap It Up." Wilson wrote "Tuff Enuff," the group's only Top 40 hit.

Career

Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1951,[2] but he grew up in Goleta, California, where he sometimes went by the stage name of "Goleta Slim." He started with the blues in the late 1960s and was tutored by people like Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Albert Collins, George "Harmonica" Smith, Luther Tucker and Pee Wee Crayton and was influenced by harmonica players such as Little Walter, James Cotton, Big Walter Horton, Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester. Before he moved to Austin, Texas, in 1974, he was the leader of the band Aces, Straights and Shuffles in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the band released one single. In Austin he formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. They became the house band at Antone's, a blues club owned by Clifford Antone.

Wilson continues to perform up to 300 concert dates per year at blues music festivals and clubs all over the world, both as leader of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and with Kim Wilson's Blues Allstars.

His powerful style of blues harp playing has been described as "loaded with the textures of a full-blown horn section."[3]

In 2015, Wilson made a guest appearance playing the harmonica on Karen Lovely's album, Ten Miles of Bad Road.[4]

In 2016, Wilson won a Blues Music Award in the 'Instrumentalist - Harmonica' category.[5]

Discography

Solo

  • 1993: Tigerman (Antone's)
  • 1994: That's Life (Antone's)
  • 1997: My Blues (Blue Collar)
  • 2001: Smokin' Joint (M.C.)
  • 2003: Looking for Trouble (M.C.)
  • 2006: My Blues Sessions: Kim's Mix, Volume I (Bluebeat)
  • 2017: Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 (Severn)

Guest

References

  1. ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 110. ISBN 1-85868-255-X. 
  2. ^ Fabulous Thunderbirds Archived January 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Gallo, Phil (April 6, 1998). "Kim Wilson's Blues Revue". Variety.com. 
  4. ^ "BLUES, Roots, Americana, blues singer songwriter,BMA Nominee Best Contemporary Blues Album,Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist,Song of the Year. 7X Muddy Award Winner. Winner 2nd Place Band 2010 International Blues Challenge. No. 1 Pick to Click XM Radio Bluesville". Karen Lovely. Retrieved October 7, 2016. 
  5. ^ "2016 Blues Music Awards Winner List". Blues411.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016. 

External links

  • 2009 Interview Bluesinlondon Magazine
  • Example of Kim Wilson's harp-work on YouTube, accompanied by Gene Taylor
  • Wilson's biography on the Fabulous Thunderbirds website
This page was last modified 12.09.2018 03:31:14

This article uses material from the article Kim Wilson from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.