The thread throughout the T-Birds career has been the respect the group commanded for its peerless musicianship and devotion to the sounds of Blues, R&B, and Rock n' Roll. In fact, Muddy Waters called Wilson his favorite harmonica player and vocalist. "Muddy Waters was very good to me," Wilson says. "He almost adopted me. I’ll never forget him." For Kim Wilson, at age 17 he began playing the harmonica, influenced by Little Walter, Lazy Lester and James Cotton. At the same time, Wilson began singing and was deeply impacted by B.B. King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rodgers and Muddy Waters. In search of other musicians who shared his love of the Blues, Wilson headed to the burgeoning music scene of Austin, Texas. It was there that he met Jimmie Vaughan and they founded the T-Birds in 1974. In 1979, The Fabulous Thunderbirds released their first album, Girls Go Wild, becoming a cult classic. "Things were wide open back then," Wilson recalls. "There were hundreds of stages where bands could show what they had." The album T-Bird Rhythm marked a creative turning point for the group as it collaborated with noted producer Nick Lowe. In 1986, The Fabulous Thunderbirds reached a commercial peak with the album, Tuff Enuff. The single of the same title as well as the singles 'Wrap It Up' and 'Look At That', all went top 40. For the remainder of the ‘80s, the band continued to record and tour, and released the album, Powerful Stuff. Jimmie Vaughan left in 1989 but Wilson kept the group going, incorporating keyboards into the guitar-driven sound. As a side project Wilson formed Kim Wilson’s Blues Revue, a traditional Blues band. However his current focus still remains The Fabulous Thunderbirds.