ABSTRACT: 01:43 Wilson explains his musical beginnings, when he was handed a baritone horn in third grade. He eventually switched to trombone. At that point, however, he wanted to be a football player. He gave up music three or four years after his introduction, not returning to it until he was seventeen and got into the harmonica. 04:30 Wilson tells how three months after picking up a harmonica, he was in a band, and a year in he was playing with the likes of Eddie Taylor. He was introduced to George Harmonica Smith through a generous friend who had him sub in for him on stage, and assumes that the giants he got involved with liked him because of his evident love of them and their music, and the fact that he was very respectful. 06:53 Wilson explains that when we began playing the main priority was getting people dancing; he studied songs from the radio, lacking a record collection, to do so. James Cotton’s first record on Verve is cited as a major influence, partly for his willingness to mix a number of different styles together. 08:28 Wilson tells how he left California in ’72 or ’73, for a brief stay in Minneapolis, which he’d heard was happening but was too wintery for his taste. On the recommendation of a guitarist he played with he went to Austin, where he did a few gigs. Years later, he moved there to re-join Jimmy Vaughan, who had come up to play with him in MN, and start the Thunderbirds. 11:29 Wilson describes the scene in Austin then. He says you could do anything you wanted, and there were plenty of bars, but also describes it as “a whole bunch of interchangeable people.” 13:27 Demonstration 16:45 Wilson lists the initial personnel of the Thunderbirds, including Keith Ferguson, who he says “in hindsight, was pretty cool.” He explains that the band started touring immediately, before they secured a deal with Tacoma Records, through Denny Bruce. They often played at Antone’s, where they met a number of people, including Muddy Waters, who he says was instrumental in getting them to the East Coast and packing the clubs for them. 20:32 Wilson extols the benefits of having met so many masters of the music, including when he was at a young age. He explains that not only were the musical benefits magnificent, “like playing basketball with Michael Jordan,” but that their warmth and generosity taught him how a person ought to be. 22:57 Wilson explains that the Thunderbirds had been around for eleven years before scoring a radio hit, and that it was Tony Martel at CBS Records that helped them take off. The band re-approached him after a company they’d signed to went bankrupt, and he decided they were something he could sell. Again, Wilson was astounded by others’ generosity. 25:08 Wilson says that making a record and experiencing contemporary success was like a whole new world; he feels he was one of the last to work with “real record people.” Unsurprisingly, he says some were great, and some were less so. 28:37 Demonstration “Tiger Man” 32:25 Wilson explains that getting into writing contemporary material took him a bit away from writing blues, which he found relatively easy. He reveals that he thinks most hit records still follow the Stax formula, which he articulates. When writing, he just tries to do his best, but explains that it’s important to have an eye on playing live when songwriting. In the modern era, he believes anything unique will sell. 35:25 Wilson says the state of the world makes clear that the blues is still relevant, though he clarifies that the blues is not just about bad things, but about every emotion, one of the beauties of improvised music. 37:02 Wilson reveals that he’s working on a book about his musical experiences. 39:21 Wilson says that the music scene in California is, currently, hit or miss. He explains he’d have to work three hundred days a year to make a living play clubs, and concludes that you have to make your own scene. He says he likes that casinos are somewhat supplanting clubs, though he explains that they’re very competitive. 42:46 Wilson confirms that playing his hits does get old, but describes it as “a small price to pay.” 44:30 Wilson jokingly says Clifford’s best advice was “eat another entrée,” then explains he didn’t so much dispense advice as make a great companion.