Still Fabulous

Digging through the best of the T-Birds

by Bob Gulla

Back in 1977, the blues was the last thing on the minds of the tastemaskers. The Ramones had just released their breakthrough Rocket to Russia, the Sex Pistols released "God Save the Queen," and the West Coast punk scene, with bands like Black Flag and the Germs, had begun to sprout. And there was Chic, who bowed with their seminal disco disc that same year. The last thing any sonic adventurer wanted to do at that time of revolutionary musical change was listen to straight-up, 12-bar blues and tuff-guy R&B.

But such was the strange time in which the Fabulous Thunderbirds -- whose first four records have been remastered and reissued with bonus tracks by Benchmark Recordings -- emerged. Perhaps it was in response to those intense musical events, perhaps it was a fluke, a testament to the legendary endurance of the blues, that precipitated the occurrence. Roomful of Blues, the nest from which a few of the T-Birds eggs had incubated and hatched, had grown into an irresistible force, at least locally. Their very existence had helped fend off punk rock's back-door strangulation.

Similarly, punk was held more or less at bay by the blues over in Texas. Jimmie Vaughan, a huge fan of the Texas bluesmen T-Bone Walker and Lightnin' Hopkins, probably didn't think for a moment about punk while helping to assemble the T-Birds in Austin back in 1974. There had been little movement in the blues so far that decade, and perhaps the time was right to return a bit of dusty blues to rock, Longhorn style.

The first line-up of the T-Birds consisted of Vaughan, singer-songwriter Kim Wilson, Houston-born bassist Keith Ferguson, and drummer Mike Buck. Lean and energetic, they blasted through the punk din with a solid and unpretentious brand of hard R&B. They were archetypal roots musicians, guys who grew up listening to and playing the blues and didn't give a damn about what Johnny Rotten had to say about the Queen. Ignorance, as usual, is bliss.

Their debut album, The Fabulous Thunderbirds (aka Girls Go Wild), offered a passel of powerful originals along with a handful of sympathetic covers, deep cuts that exhibited a pure and potent interest in true blues and R&B. No B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf covers here. Instead of investing in the Memphis/Chicago blues side, they banked on material from the Texas/ Louisiana roots axis, digging into Slim Harpo's awesome "Scratch My Back" and Jerry McCain's "She's Tuff."

The band's originals didn't miss a beat alongside their covers. Wilson proved to be a formidable blues scholar, writing hefty swing numbers like "Rock with Me" and the classic Freddie King-inspired "Let Me In." Benchmark's reissue of the album consists of three bonus tracks, among them two exciting Wilson originals, "Please Don't Lie To Me" and "Things I Forgot To Do," plus Magic Sam's "Look Whatcha Done." In the words of producer Denny Bruce, "They always sounded as if they were in the process of inventing a new kind of rhythm and blues for themselves." And for us. After it was released on indie label Takoma, Chrysalis picked the album up and gave it major label cache. The Birds were ready to take flight.

Chrysalis gave the T-Birds the backing and distribution the band desperately needed for wider exposure. Given the band's itch to stay on the road ad infinitum, tour support was key. They circled the country time and again, spreading the gospel word of the blues with sharp, rock-friendly sets, promoting their debut first, then the equally effective What's the Word, their second album.

Graced by characteristically cheesy artwork, What's the Word found the band breaking slightly out of their trad-blues box, heading into Cajun territory with "You Ain't Nothin' but Fine" and into cheeky Mexican radio-style "Los Fabulosos Thunderbirds." In fact, from here on in the T-Birds covered every Texas genre within their reach, broadening their rootsy appeal and making their stage show a dazzlingly diverse spectacle. Benchmark's reissue of the album also includes three bonus tracks: scorching live versions (sounds redundant) of "Bad Boy," "Scratch My Back," and "Los Fabulosos Thunderbirds."

The next year, the band released Butt Rockin', their first album recorded outside of Texas and the first one featuring the full-time services of Westerly drummer Fran Christina, formerly of Roomful. The T-Birds wanted to enhance their voltage a bit on this album, so they recruited some Roomful stalwarts -- Westerly's tenor sax great Greg Piccolo, pianist Al Copley, and baritone sax Doug James. Together they'd do some incredible work, from a cover of Perez Prado's fantastic, jalapeno-flavored "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" (also a hit for Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats in 1961), and Smiley Lewis's classic New Orleans' R&B gem "I Hear You Knockin'."

The resulting din, gloriously lush and purposefully groovin', would go on to further define the T-Birds, who now added the word "swing" to their descriptive repertoire. Christina impressed us all with his rock-solid performance behind the kit. As the band rose, so too swelled our pride.

The last of the four reissues and the band's final Chrysalis album, T-Bird Rhythm, introduced another wrinkle to the band's sound thanks to producer Nick Lowe. Back in 1980, the T-Birds toured the UK in support of Lowe's acclaimed Rockpile outfit, impressing the droll songwriter so much that he committed to working with the band. On songs like the hooky "My Babe" and "Lover's Crime," you can hear Lowe's ultra-melodic influence creeping into the muscle-car vibe, and it's a welcome addition. T-Bird Rhythm may have been the band's best recording, bridging the gap between their lean early days and their later pop successes. Sadly, no bonus tracks exist from the Lowe sessions.

With their fusion of blues, R&B, and rock, the T-Birds helped popularize genuine Texas roadhouse blues, introducing the idiom to masses of radio listeners and frat-boys alike and kick-starting a blues revival nationwide. They were one of the few white-boy blues acts that actually worked without dilution.

It would be sometime before the band hit the stage prior to mega-stars like the Rolling Stones and Santana, and it would be some time before every radio and TV on both coasts would blare massive hits like "Tuff Enuff" and "Wrap It Up." But by then, though, the T-Birds wouldn't be an insider's fave anymore. They'd go on to become the country's national blues house band, the musical symbol for every roadhouse that ever was and, for a few years in the late '80s, that ever would be.

These reissues, the rootsy sapling from which great limbs grew, don't so much cast new light on the T-Birds legacy as they carve their initials into the blues-rock bark with greater definition, helping us to experience once again that musical rush only great blues can bestow. Even if the timing wasn't right.

WANDERING EYE. This Sunday, there's a worthwhile benefit going down in support of A Wish Come True, featuring the Mill City Rockers and R.B. Gunn. To complement the tunes, there will be a big ol' pig roast. It all takes place at Duke's Good Times on Warwick Avenue in Cranston. All proceeds from the event go to the Wish foundation. You can call John Florio at 624-6405 for particulars.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.