The Nighthawks

Genres:	Blues • Pop / Rock
Descriptive "tags":	blues • blues rock • jazz • rock and roll • 80s • south boogie
Decades Active:	1980s • 1990s • 2000s

Biography

The Nighthawks, America’s self-styled ‘favourite bar band’, have been pumping out their gritty brand of blues and roots rock for over 30 years. The band was formed in 1972 by Mark Wenner (harp/vocals), Jimmy Thackery (19 May 1953, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; guitar), Jan Zukowski (bass) and Pete Ragusa (drums). The quartet eschewed the laid-back country rock style of many of their contemporaries, forging a terrific live reputation as one of the few blues bands of their era to tour nationally. They also supported and backed blues luminaries such as Muddy Waters, John Hammond, Otis Rush, Walter ‘Shakey’ Horton, and Elvin Bishop.

The Nighthawks recorded several albums for Rounder Records during the 80s. Backtrack, released in 1988, was a document of the original quartet’s 1986 ‘farewell’ tour. Thackery embarked on a solo career, while Wenner, Zukowski and Ragusa recruited Jimmy Hall...

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