There’s little doubt that one of the most famous song titles for The Fabulous Thunderbirds — 1986’s “Tuff Enuff” — could be applied to the stamina of the band’s leader Kim Wilson.
Not only has the front man, singer and harmonica player extraordinaire not slowed the band’s touring schedule in the 30-plus years since its inception, but he has led the band in continually turning out CDs that advance its sound.
“We have been around for so long, it’s hard to put it into words,” Wilson said. “The tour has just been fabulous; people have been going crazy.”
Indeed, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have had that sort of fan reaction since Wilson and Jimmie Vaughan, brother of the late blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, founded the band in 1974. Although Vaughan left to play with his brother and then went solo, Wilson has stayed with the band, shepherding it through various lineup changes and industry turmoil. Through it all, he seems never to have lost his enthusiasm for the band or its blues-with-Texas-twang music.
“I’m more into it now than I have ever been; I never get tired of it,” Wilson said. “The lineup gets better and better. It’s a great experience.”
Wilson talks about searching for musicians with the right “chemistry,” those who respect the tradition of The Fabulous Thunderbirds but also aren’t afraid to put their own musical spin on the band’s sound.
That style has always served The Thunderbirds well. The band, a favorite among musicians including The Rolling Stones, still grabs great musicians to guest-star on its CDs. On the band’s 2005 album, “Painted On,” Rachel Nagy of The Detroit Cobras and celebrated blues musician-vocalist Nick Curran joined Wilson on two tracks.
“I got 20 years on the oldest guy in this band,” Wilson said. “But these guys have a lot of reverence for past T-Bird music; they have a lot of energy. If you look … at Muddy Waters or go to back Chicago and Stax Records … you see it’s important to have your own style, your own take on things.”
(If you go: The Fabulous Thunderbirds; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; $25; 703-573-7328; ticketmaster.com)
