JIMMY THACKERY
There are many spectacular guitar players, using many diverse styles and countless hours are spent debating which is best (a pointless exercise as Kenyan, Columbian, Blue Mountain and Black Ivory are all excellent coffees, and which is ‘best’ is just a matter of taste.) Jimmy Thackery has built a long career on his wide-ranging guitar skills, covering Blues, Jazz, Rockabilly and some things that don’t have a name yet! He was good enough to attract the attention of Muddy Waters, no less, then founded a long-running band and went on to front a well-respected trio where he can show his chops, as he explores the outer reaches of guitar technique.
Jimmy and the Drivers perform ‘Hobart’s Blues;
Jimmy’s confident manner with a Fender and a decent Blues voice were the essential tools required to set up his band The Drivers, where he could stretch out and explore his guitar innovations in a flexible trio form. Much of Jimmy’s live set consists of 10-minute variations on a theme, mostly self-written, and it is huge credit to his virtuoso technique that interest never wanes. All Jimmy’s work centres around his phenomenally versatile guitar style, which is deeply rooted in the Blues, but able to incorporate twangy ‘surf’ tones, ‘film-noir’ themes and Pink-Floyd-like dreamy sequences. Beginning with ‘Empty Arms Motel’, his 1992 debut album with The Drivers, Jimmy has pretty much maintained an album release every year, and this has included collaborations with David Raitt, John Mooney, and an excellent album with Tab Benoit.
Jimmy Thackery Discography
This is a compilation of instrumentals from Jimmy’s years with Blind Pig Records, which gives a taste of his incredibly varied influences. Rocking, jazzy, up-tempo and laid-back tunes get a workout alongside the fine Blues playing.
