Biography

Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers' newest release, Sinner Street, reconfirms his position as THE premier guitar pyrotechnician on the blues scene today. Jimmy and the boys burn through a set of blues rockers that features some of Jimmy's strongest playing, singing and songwriting ever.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1953, Jimmy was raised in Washington, D.C. In high school he played in a band with Bonnie Raitt's brother David, who turned him on to Buddy Guy. A pivotal moment for the 17 year old Thackery was seeing Buddy perform at a small D.C. church, but the "moment that changed my life," as Thackery recalls it, occurred quite by accident one night when he wandered into a Jimi Hendrix show in D.C. and heard Hendrix let loose in his first gig after getting kicked off the Monkees tour.

Thackery became widely known as the innovative guitarist with the Nighthawks, one of the hardest-working and most popular blues bands of the '70's and '80's. Starting in 1974, the group recorded over twenty albums and constantly toured the U.S., Europe, Canada and Japan. Jimmy was the heart, soul, and adrenaline of the Nighthawks sound during his fourteen year tenure with the Washington, D.C.-based band, creating a distinctively raw, powerful guitar style and establishing a reputation as a spectacular soloist.

Thackery comes by his six-string brilliance honestly, having learned from the very best sources. Besides Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix, Thackery cites Chicago axe master Otis Rush as a primary influence. Moreover, he learned quite a bit from playing on stage alongside such blues legends as Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson.

Thackery left the Nighthawks in 1987, needing a break from a grueling 300-night-a-year touring schedule. He also felt a need to try something new musically, so Thackery founded a six piece R&B band called The Assassins. The popular and critically-acclaimed group recorded three albums before disbanding in 1991.

Responding to demands by avid fans that he return to front and center in a band that would again highlight his sparkling guitar playing, Thackery formed a stripped-down three piece unit and began touring as Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers, amazing crowds wherever they performed. Their first release, Empty Arms Motel on Blind Pig Records in 1992, won over legions of critics and new fans, becoming one of the best-selling blues titles of the year. CD Review said, "Jimmy Thackery has the tonal control, musical thought, expressive sincerity, velocity, and discipline to rank near the top of the blues-rock heavyweight division."

In the fall of 1993 Blind Pig reissued an acoustic duet album, Sideways in Paradise, that Thackery recorded in Jamaica in 1985 with slide guitar master John Mooney. Blues Access said, "Thackery shows a remarkable facility here for the acoustic setting. There's a wealth of excellent material here. The players trade National steel guitars and mandolins, and explode the barriers of possibility for traditional acoustic music."

Thackery's second album with the Drivers, Trouble Man, released in 1994, was produced by Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines, who has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, and Steve Miller. He came up with a heftier guitar tone that further enhanced Thackery's fiery blues and rock-influenced guitar wizardry. Blues Revue said, "Thackery's heavily distorted tone is like a thunderstorm of passion and fury that just crackles and roars with conviction and power. Pure dynamite!"

Thackery has been acclaimed as one of the hottest live acts around, with his jaw-dropping performances becoming the stuff of legend. As the Boston Globe put it, "Jimmy Thackery is a four-hour performer. That's not how long he plays, but how long one should travel to see him. He's a phenomenal guitarist, one of the best we've seen." Responding to the many fans who had been clamoring for a live recording that captures their hero's unrelenting power on stage, Blind Pig released Wild Night Out! in 1995. Recorded in Detroit, it features over 60 minutes of Thackery's amazing guitar pyrotechnics. Blues Revue said, "Guitar god Jim Thackery's live album aptly lives up to its title, capturing the depth and breadth of his awesome ability." Guitar Player called it "a watershed of industrial-strength roots rock." The Orlando Weekly referred to it as "live blues-rock at its best, testimony to J.T.'s high-caliber guitar skills."

Thackery's fourth album with the Drivers, Drive To Survive, released in 1996, found producer Jim Gaines at the helm again. Jimmy and Jim work especially well together and judging from critical review and retail sales, the public seems to agree. Billboard magazine rated Drive To Survive, the number eight best selling independent label blues release of that year. Vintage Guitar said "Thackery's scorching tone and gritty guitar work are instantly identifiable. His rhythm grooves are grinding and funky, his leads have a freedom that Hendrix would have envied."

1998's Switching Gears was a change of pace for Jimmy and the Drivers. It featured special guests Lonnie Brooks, Joe Louis Walker and Chubby Carrier on a refreshing mix of material, from urban and acoustic blues to Hendrixesque rockers to a splash of contemporary zydeco. Standout tracks included Joe Louis Walker's delightful acoustic number, "If This is Love," and the mischievous and entertaining duet with Reba Russell on Jimmy's original "Dancing On Broken Glass."

Jim Gaines and Jimmy Thackery are reunited on Sinner Street and the results speak for themselves. Jimmy's guitar playing has never been hotter and songs like "Lovin' My Money," "Hundreds Into Ones" and "Million Dollar Bill" are some of his wittiest thus far. The sound of the band has an exciting new dimension, provided by sax man and newest Driver Jimmy Carpenter. Two instrumentals, the swinging title cut and the Peter Green-like "Blues 'Fore Dawn," are true highlights. Jimmy Thackery's career has produced many highly acclaimed recordings, but Sinner Street is destined to outshine them all.