<back - KIM WILSON - Born January 6, 1951 in Detroit, Kim Wilson grew up in California. His parents were both singers who would sing popular standards on the radio and events, and while Wilson took trombone and guitar lessons, he didn't discover Blues until he was a senior in high school. Even though he had only switched to playing Blues Harp in his senior year in high school, Kim Wilson's progress on the instrument was very rapid as well as his all-consuming Blues record collecting. Wilson dropped out of college and began playing Blues full time in 1970. He re-located to the San Francisco Bay,  playing with John Lee Hooker and Sonny Rhodes.

But Wilson didn't meet his biggest mentor until he moved to Austin Texas. e teamed up Jimmie Vaughan to form The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1974. They backed many Blues artists as Antone's house band through out 1975. Kim recalls "Muddy Waters was my biggest mentor. He really made my reputation for me, and that was a fantastic time of my life, being associated with that man". Although Kim Wilson has long been known as the  front-man for The Fabulous Thunderbirds, his solo albums are where Blues mastery shows through. In the recording studio on his solo projects, Kim Wilson has a very clear idea of what standards and obscure tunes he wants to interpret, and how to do it. The sound is Classic Blues, as it was meant to be. "As long as I stay in my own world and don't subject myself to the torture of the flavor of the second, I'm fine. I just listen to Muddy Waters and B.B. King and I have a ball. That's the standard I'm trying to reach." All of Kim Wilson's solo albums are Blues solid productions, highly recommended for Blues music fans that dig classic Blues and R&B or just plain REAL music. His Grammy nominated recording 'Smokin' Joint', (along with multiple WC Handy Awards), is his first solo LIVE recording and captures the Blues like they were meant to be heard: live at a Blues club, with no overdubs, and with Kim's smokin' harp and soulful vocals. Check out his latest on MC Records 'Lookin' For Trouble' for more of the REAL thang. He is a committed Bluesman who's been playing for over half his life. His sound is still as crisp, contemporary and as REAL as it gets. Kim Wilson, as a vocalist, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist, is a complete Blues artist. His virtuosity with his chosen instrument is completely unmatched, his distinctive voice is as deep and rich as any in Blues today. MP3- Smokin' Joint