© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Jimmy Thackery Is Equal Parts Great Guitarist, Vocalist and Songwriter - And All Music

http://youtu.be/uF3V7e97W9s

Blues guitarist Jimmy Thackery learned from the masters and mastered what he learned. When you hear him crank up his axe he denudes the forest with every solo. He takes no prisoners.

In his words: "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside. There's an electricity from your mind to your heart to your fingers. You just try and remember to breathe."

And so do the listeners. Inhale, exhale, repeat.

There's not much biographical background to report on Thackery because music is his be all and end all. I can tell you that he was born in Pittsburg and raised in Washington D.C. In high school, mid to late 1960s, he played in a band that included Bonnie Raitt's brother David. Raitt turned Thackery on to Buddy Guy. Thackery was deeply influenced by shows he heard soon after featuring Guy and Jimi Hendrix.

Jimmy Thackery's career really took off when, in 1974, he co-founded The Nighhawks with harmonica player Mark Wenner. They recorded 20 albums together and toured the World until Thackery left the band in 1987 to perform under his own name and with several backup bands including The Assassins and The Drivers.

http://youtu.be/k0mdkRvdtyk

While flaming, mind blowing guitar is the first thing I think of when you say "Jimmy Thackery," it's important to note he is a pretty fine singer and songwriter with an open ended way of writing, though lyrics often serve as a guide.

He said, "Inspiration can come at any time. It might be a lyric first or it might be a musical lick first. It might just be a form thing. In my world, a lyric tends to be a musical road map. It tends to set up the music I hear in my head. The cadence of a lyric tends to suggest the way to go on the guitar."

If you're anywhere near where Jimmy Thackery is playing, do yourself a favor. As the embers start to die down, you'll know you've been taken many great places.

Tags
Related Content