As a youngster growing up
in the era of great television theme songs and always
having music playing in the home, it was only natural
that the sound of an electric guitar would eventually
capture the interest of Jimmy Thackery.
Think of the Henry Mancini classic of the
theme from Peter Gunn, or, the sinister sound
of the ominous guitar riff that began every James
Bond movie, and you begin to get the idea.
By junior high school, the sound of the garage band
playing in the gymnasium for the dance was all Thackery
needed to plant the seed of becoming a musician;
one that would be heavily influenced by popular
sounds on radio and and on television from groups
as influential as The Fab Four and the ever
more roots- oriented British Invasion bands
such as The Animals and Rolling Stones.
By 1969, Thackery had discovered that it was actually
The Blues that was the driving influence
in the kind of music that tickled his ears and a
small group of like- minded players started a journey
that would take him millions of miles and nearly
fifty years of dedication to the genre.
By 1972, a new outfit was in the seminal development
that would eventually become known internationally
as, The Nighthawks.
After a few personnel changes, a magical combination
was settled upon and, by 1974, a recording project
was in the works.
In February of 1975, The Nighthawks released
their first album on vinyl utilizing the newly acquired
“ Aladdin” label.
What followed was a continuous recording schedule
followed by relentless touring, first, on the East
coast and later, across the United States and to
Europe and even to Japan.
Upon leaving The Hawks in 1987, several projects
followed with only marginal success and culminating
in a new , stripped- down solo venture that was
more of a blues power trio.
Many more miles of touring and recording followed
with a new- found success and appearances that were
as far reaching as India and Australia.
By 2019, Thackery had reached a milestone and decided
that it would be impossible to continue at the same
pace.
What became a difficult but necessary decision was
to retire from the touring and settle down in a
warm climate with his family.
The music is still very much alive and quite available
on all the popular platforms and it still remains
as exciting and vibrant as ever.
Look for the tunes you love on iTunes, CD
Baby, Spotify, Pandora and other streaming
services across the web.
In the meantime, check here for any updates and
news.
Thanks for the many years of support and fun and
keeping the music alive and flowing.
Until later…
