Jimmy Thackery Wide Open

Jimmy Thackery

Jimmy Tackery, born May 19, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,and raised in Washington, D.C., has learned his skills first hand from the old blues masters. "Muddy was one of those guys who was constantly encouraging. He never told you what to do, but he always told you what you were doing wrong. He never minced words about that. The first time on stage with Muddy, I was in such awe of him that I just kept my eyes and ears open and just picked up on everything he did. It was the dynamics they had that became so ingrained in us. We heard it on the records and then stood on stage and saw how it worked."

Along with Mark Wenner he founded The Nighhawks in the early 1970s working with the East coast quartet for the next 15 years, doing more than 300 shows a year.

The Nighthawks had a loyal fanbase who enjoyed their special blend of Muddy Waters style Chicago blues and Sun Records-fueled Memphis style rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll.

Tired of being on the road all year round, Thackery left The Nighthawks in 1987 leaving behind a legacy of great albums. 

He wanted the opportunity to write and put newer material into the sets. First he formed a six piece R&B band, the Assassins, an all-star R&B, funk band from the DC area, and recorded three albums with them. Then, in 1992, Thackery put together his three piece band called the Drivers to highlight his explosive guitar and hit the blues highway.“When you're out on your own, you'd better rise to the occasion. So I found myself back in the 300 night niche. What made that satisfying is that it was my ship and I was the captain of it. We were doing material that I was writing. We were doing arrangements that I came up with."

During the following years he has recorded eight discs for Blind Pig Recods in Chicago.

His first record, ’Empty Arms Motel’, was released in 1992. After leaving Blind Pig, Jimmy Thackery released two album on Telarc plus two collaborations with Tab Benoit and a critically acclaimed reunion with his old friend David Raitt on Patrick Ford’s Blue Rock’It label.

Thackery continues to record and tour frequently.

„Few guitarists working the blues circuit today can boast a signature sound as unique as Jimmy Thackery’s. As far from an SRV clone as one can be while still playing a Stratocaster, Thackery combines elements of Nashville twang, swing, surf, hard rock, and frequent excursions into the world of jazz and still comes up with a sound that is still distinctlythe blues“– Bob Dragich, Vintage Guitar Magzine

By Bob Dragich

Based on the bio on www.jimmythackery.com- Detlev Hoegen, February 2019