The Fabulous Thunderbirds

The Fabulous Thunderbirds are a blues-rock band, formed in 1974 (see 1974 in music). After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, they earned a recording contract with Chrysalis Records and later signed to Arista.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds are a blues-rock band, formed in 1974 (see 1974 in music). After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, they earned a recording contract with Chrysalis Records and later signed to Arista.

The first two albums released in 1979 and 1980 (with Keith Ferguson on bass and Mike Buck on drums), did not initially sell well, but are now regarded as successful white blues recordings. Their blues style mixed Texas blues with the harmonica-laced swamp blues sounds of Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester — both of whom the T-Birds covered. Their third album, Butt-Rockin', released in 1981, took the band closer to old rhythm and blues and added piano and brass section played by additional musicians.