Kim Wilson (born January 6, 1951) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

player. He is best known as the

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

and

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

for the

Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974. Career After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records and later signed with Epic Recor ...

on two

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

s of the 1980s, " Tuff Enuff" (which was the group's only Top 40 hit) and "Wrap It Up."

Career

Wilson was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, in 1951, but he grew up in

Goleta, California Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...

, where he sometimes went by the stage name of "Goleta Slim." He started with the

in the late 1960s and was tutored by people like

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

, Jimmy Rogers,

Eddie Taylor Eddie Taylor (January 29, 1923 – December 25, 1985) was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. Biography Born Edward Taylor in Benoit, Mississippi, as a boy Taylor taught himself to play the guitar. He spent his early years playing ...

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

, George "Harmonica" Smith,

Luther Tucker Luther Tucker (January 20, 1936 – June 18, 1993) was an American blues guitarist. While soft-spoken and shy, Tucker made his presence known through his unique and clearly recognizable guitar style. Tucker helped to define the music known as ...

and Pee Wee Crayton and was influenced by harmonica players such as

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

James Cotton James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career. ...

, Big Walter Horton, Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester. Before he moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, in 1974, he was the leader of the band Aces, Straights and Shuffles in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

; the band released one single. In Austin he formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with guitarist

Jimmie Vaughan Jimmie Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant ...

. They became the house band at Antone's, a blues club owned by

Clifford Antone Clifford Antone (October 27, 1949 – May 22, 2006) was the founder of the eponymous Austin blues club Antone's and independent record label Antone's Records and Tapes, as well as a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson, ...

. Wilson continues to perform up to 300 concert dates per year at blues

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...

s 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." In 2015, Wilson made a guest appearance playing the harmonica on

Karen Lovely Karen Patricia Lovely (born November 23, 1959) is an American electric blues singer and songwriter. Lovely has released five albums to date, with her most recent being ''Fish Outta Water'' (2017). She was a nominee at the 2016 Blues Music Awards ...

's album, ''Ten Miles of Bad Road''. In 2016, Wilson won a

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Hand ...

in the 'Instrumentalist - Harmonica' category. Wilson plays himself in a rare television appearance on '' Wiseguy'', "Sleepwalk" episode, 1989.

Discography

Solo

* 1993: ''Tigerman'' ( Antone's) * 1994: ''That's Life'' (Antone's) * 1997: ''My Blues'' (Blue Collar) * 2001: ''Smokin' Joint'' (M.C. Records) * 2003: ''Looking for Trouble'' (M.C. Records) * 2006: ''My Blues Sessions: Kim's Mix, Volume I'' (Bluebeat) * 2017: ''Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1'' (Severn) * 2020: ''Take Me Back - The Bigtone Sessions'' (M.C. Records)

Guest

* Ronnie Earl, ''Smokin' '' (1983) * Roomful of Blues, ''Dressed Up To Get Messed Up'' (1984) * Ronnie Earl, ''They Call Me Mr. Earl'' (1984) * Ron Levy's Wild Kingdon, ''Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom'' (1988) * '' People Get Ready – A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield'' (1993) * Snuff Johnson, ''Will The Circle Be Unbroken'' ( Black Magic Records, 1994) *

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

, '' Road Tested'' (1995) *

Kid Ramos Kid Ramos (born January 13, 1959) is an American electric blues and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Ramos has released four solo albums since 1995 on Black Top and Evidence Records. He has worked with James Harman, Roomful of B ...

, ''Kid Ramos'' (1999) *

, ''35th Anniversary Jam of the James Cotton Blues Band'' (Telarc, 2001) * Big Jack Johnson, '' The Memphis Barbecue Sessions'' (2002) * JW-Jones, ''Bogart's Bounce'' (guest, 2002) * JW-Jones, ''My Kind of Evil'' (producer and guest, 2004) * Wentus Blues Band, '' Family Album '' (Bluelight Records, 2004) *

Barrelhouse Chuck Barrelhouse Chuck (born Harvey Charles Goering; July 10, 1958 – December 12, 2016) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues pianist, keyboardist, singer, and songwriter. He claimed to be the only Chicago blues pianist to have studied u ...

, '' Got My Eyes on You'' (2007) * Omar Kent Dykes &

, '' Jimmy Reed Highway'' (2007) * Louisiana Red, ''Back to the Black Bayou'' (

Ruf Records Ruf Records is a German independent record label, which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison’s manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Allison's career. The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in Li ...

, 2008) *

Elvin Bishop Elvin Richard Bishop (born October 21, 1942) is an American blues and rock music singer, guitarist, bandleader, and songwriter. An original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a mem ...

, ''The Blues Rolls On'' (2008) *

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

, '' Clapton'' (

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

, 2010) *

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, '' Privateering'' (2012) * Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King, ''Road Dog's Life'' (

Delta Groove Productions Delta Groove Productions is an American blues record label in Van Nuys, California, United States. The label was founded by Randy Chortkoff ( Rand Jay Chortkoff; 1949–2015), a producer, concert promoter, and harmonica player. Chortkoff's bio ...

, 2013) * Barrelhouse Chuck, '' Driftin' From Town To Town'' (2013) *

The Robert Cray Band Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was statione ...

, ''4 Nights of 40 Years'' (2015) *

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

, ''

Born to Play Guitar ''Born to Play Guitar'' is the 17th studio album by American blues musician Buddy Guy, released in 2015. It peaked at No. 60 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Blues Albums chart on August 22, 2015. The album won ...

'' (2015) * Thornetta Davis, ''Honest Woman'' (2016) *

Peter Karp Peter Karp is an American roots-based folk and blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He resides in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, United States. Early life and career Peter Karp was born in Leonia, New Jersey, United States, and lived in ...

, ''Blue Flame'' (2018) *

Ash Grunwald Ash Grunwald (born Ashley Mark Groenewald, 5 September 1976) is an Australian blues musician. He has released nine studio albums and has received five nominations for ARIA Music Awards. Five albums have charted in the ARIA Albums Chart top&nbs ...

, ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'' (2019)

References

External links

2009 Interview Bluesinlondon Magazine
* , accompanied by Gene Taylor
Wilson's biography on the Fabulous Thunderbirds website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Kim American blues singers American blues harmonica players 1951 births Living people Harmonica blues musicians Texas blues musicians People from Goleta, California Singers from California 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Singers from Detroit The Fabulous Thunderbirds members 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers