100 Tracks From The Fabulous

Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With their fusion of blues, rock & roll, and R&B, the Fabulous Thunderbirds helped popularize roadhouse Texas blues with a mass audience in the '80s and, in the process, they helped kick-start a blues revival during the mid-'80s. During their heyday in the early '80s, they were the most popular attraction on the blues bar circuit, which eventually led to a breakthrough to the pop audience in 1986 with their fifth album, Tuff Enuff. The mass success didn't last too long, and founding member Jimmie Vaughan left in 1990, but the Fabulous Thunderbirds remained one of the most popular blues concert acts in America during the '90s.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist/harpist Kim Wilson in 1974; in addition to Vaughan and Wilson, the band's original lineup included bassist Keith Ferguson and drummer Mike Buck. Initially, the group also featured vocalist Lou Ann Barton, but she left the band shortly after its formation. Within a few years, the Thunderbirds became the house band for the Austin club Antone's, where they would play regular sets and support touring blues musicians. By the end of the decade, they had built a strong fan base, which led to a record contract with the local Takoma Records…..

A rare early album by the legend Brazilian guitar genius - still bossa, but also recorded in the US - which gives the album a stronger jazz feel at times! The core focus here is still on Bonfa's lively guitar solos - but the presence of added jazz musicians make for a set that's a bit fuller and richer than some of the more solo-styled album from Luiz - not exactly Verve bossa, but somewhere close - and a wonderful record that manages to capture the best side of Bonfa's lyrical genius - thanks to a mix of original sambas and bossa tunes, plus Bonfa-ized versions of some American standards.

A rare early album by the legend Brazilian guitar genius - still bossa, but also recorded in the US - which gives the album a stronger jazz feel at times! The core focus here is still on Bonfa's lively guitar solos - but the presence of added jazz musicians make for a set that's a bit fuller and richer than some of the more solo-styled album from Luiz - not exactly Verve bossa, but somewhere close - and a wonderful record that manages to capture the best side of Bonfa's lyrical genius - thanks to a mix of original sambas and bossa tunes, plus Bonfa-ized versions of some American standards.

This two-fer combines two classic records by the Everly Brothers, simply the greatest close harmony duo in rock history. Containing both of the duo's 1958 eponymous debut and the 1984 Rhino compilation THE FABULOUS STYLE OF THE EVERLY BROTHERS, this collection features many of the songs that sent them and their harmonic thirds to the upper reaches of the Billboard charts: "Bye Bye Love," "When Will I Be Loved," "Wake Up Little Suzie," and "All I Have to Do is Dream," among many other lesser known gems. A de facto greatest-hits album, the set is a perfect diving-off point for those interested in the many highlights of the Everlys' early years.