The Fabulous Thunderbirds to headline 2022 Greeley Blues Jam

Tickets for the 2022 Greeley Blues Jam go on sale 10 a.m. Friday. Courtesy photo.

By Dan England

The Greeley Blues Jam brings a crowd of loyal lovers of 12-bar verses, but it’s possible that not everyone knew Kim Wilson the last time he headlined the June festival. 

Well, he’s coming back, and blues fans will recognize the band he’s bringing with him. You ever heard of the Fabulous Thunderbirds? 

Wilson, the singer and harp player, founded the Thunderbirds as a blues band, but you probably know them as the band responsible for the mid-80s hits “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up.” Al Bricker, who runs the festival with his wife, Pam, both of Greeley, said he has “no idea” what the current lineup will be, but he also trusts Wilson, a true musician.

“The blues crowd is used to him having competent musicians behind him,” Bricker said and laughed. “We feel really good about him.” 

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. 

The Thunderbirds will play all their hits and maybe a few deep cuts, but Wilson remains a legendary figure in blues, and an active one as well: He received a Grammy nomination this year for Best Traditional Blues Album. 

The Blues Jam will look a little different this year as well. The Jam is moving out of Island Grove Arena into a grassy spot just east of the Island Grove Events Center. The spot offers more shade and better sound and won’t cost the Blues Jam $22,000 to lay sod on the Arena’s dirt floor: Reselling the sod after the festival didn’t recoup much of the cost. The Jam will rent some fencing that will cost a fourth and will use the Events Center for bathrooms and as a backup plan in case of bad weather.  

“Every time we go out to Island Grove,” Bricker said, “we get more convinced it will work.” 

Other acts include Ruthie Foster, Vanessa Collier, Mac Arnold and the Plate Full of Blues and Josh Hoyer and the Soul Colossal. Here’s Bricker’s brief description of the acts. 

• Ruthie Foster — Foster is so good that she might have been able to headline the festival and has a well-respected career. 

“She can do straight-out blues, she can play gospel, and she will get you up and jumping like being in a church,” Bricker said. “But she can also do some of that Texas Hill Country Music that’s really good as well. She is so talented.” 

• Vanessa Collier — A young female bandleader who sings and plays saxophone. 

“She’s relatively new,” Bricker said, “but the music is just fantastic.” 

• Mac Arnold — Mac is an old legend — his first band featured James Brown on the piano — just like Buddy Guy and John Primer, Bricker said. He will turn 80 this year and recorded with Muddy Waters. He’s dynamic and plays a guitar made out of a gas can and has a lot of fun. 

“I think the crowd here will eat him up,” Bricker said. “People will be grinning.” 

• Josh Hoyer — Hoyer’s played many times at the Jam and in Greeley and is a longtime favorite. Bricker now calls him a “family friend.” It makes Bricker angry, even, that he’s not getting the attention he deserves. 

“He’s just so good,” Bricker said. 

• Emma Marie – A local singer who won a voice competition at the Greeley Stampede in 2016 when she was just 11, she is now a Windsor High School student who will open the jam. 

“She’s just amazed me,” Bricker said. 

To go 

Tickets prices are $35 in advance and $45 at the gate.  Purchase them at http://greeleybluesjam.org.

They go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.  You can also call (970) 356-7787.