Willow Brook Blues - Kid Thomas

Kid Thomas, aka Tommy Louis, aka Tommy Lewis, was and is one of the great unsung heroes of that crazy kind of music that skirts the fine line between blues and straight-out rock & roll. Though success constantly eluded him throughout his career, it wasn't for lack of talent. With a powerful voice that could emit banshee wails and Little Richard howls with consummate ease, and a harmonica style that, at his best ("Rockin This Joint Tonight"), sounded like Little Walter powered by a vacuum cleaner, Kid Thomas was a man who knew how to rock the joint, indeed. He was born Louis Thomas Watts on June 20, 1934, in Sturgis, MS. About seven years later, his parents, Virgie and VT, moved the family up to Chicago. By the time young Louis reached street-wise, teenage manhood, he was taking harmonica lessons from Little Willie Smith, one of the many peripheral bluesmen on the Chicago scene, in exchange for giving Smith lessons on the drums, the Kid's original instrument. The late '40s and early '50s found him semi-gainfully employed blowing harp at Cadillac Babys and a dozen other clubs whose names are now lost to the mists of time. According to all accounts, he appears to have sat in with everybody at one time or another during the early to mid-'50s; Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and Bo Diddley all welcomed him on-stage on a regular basis, while Thomas found himself even deputizing for his harmonica hero Little Walter on the not-so-odd occasion when said hero was too drunk to make it up to the bandstand. By 1955, Kid Thomas decided he needed to make a record to help promote his club appearances. Walking by the King-Federal distributors one day, he simply poked his head and announced that he'd like to record. As luck would have it, he was immediately introduced to Ralph Bass, then working for Syd Nathan's label conglomerate as an A&R man. Bass listened to Thomas' spiel, then sent him off with instructions to put a band together and come back for a demo session. Deputizing Smith on drums, a guitarist only remembered as "James", and an unknown piano man, our hero headed back for the audition loaded down with tunes he had been working up on his gigs. In his only known interview, conducted in 1969 by Darryl Stolper, Thomas remembered that first session that led to his first record being issued: "The first few numbers didn't go over, so I started thinking about the (Howlin) Wolf, and I came up with "Wolf Pack." And "The Spell" I got from Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Both of them were thought up on the spur of the moment, and Ralph Bass dug them." Rather than have Thomas come back in and do a formal session, Bass was so taken with the results of the Kid's ad-lib compositions, that the results were duly pressed up as Federal single 12298. After several months of pounding the pavement trying to promote the single, Thomas came to face the cold, hard reality that having a record out and having a hit record out are two very different things. One day, while munching down on the $1.98 chicken special at a local Chicago diner, our hero struck up a conversation with a couple of guys who had just hitch-hiked into town from Wichita, KS. After asking where the best live music was in town, Kid invited them down to a band rehearsal at Cadillac Babys. The two transients in question were duly blown away and pumped much wind up Thomas' skirt by telling him how well the show would go over in their home town. A few weeks later, the Kid received a letter from them, informing him they had him booked at a place called the Sportsmans Lounge. Thomas, possessing no transportation to make the trip, hit upon what someone with a million dollars worth of talent and no bankroll would conceive as a good idea... "At that time, I was doing some light work for a minister, and he had a '49 Buick..I didn't have a car, so I waited until he was asleep and I told my guitarist to ease the car out, 'cause if he woke up, he'd recognize me. So he starts up the car and bangs it into the car behind him, and the one in front. But he finally got it out, and we made it to Wichita." In a classic case of karma coming back with a vengeance, the Kid made it to Wichita, only to have his band immediately break up, and split to Tennessee in the heisted automobile! "When I got back (to Chicago), the minister asked me what happened to his car. I told him I hadn't any idea. He told me,'Thats funny, 'cause it disappeared the same night you did." About a month later, Thomas tried the trip to Wichita again, this time with a new band and a newly decorated, but very beat-up, 1947 DeSoto station wagon with bald tires. After a treacherous ride through the Ozark Mountains, they made it to the gig and proceeded to set up. In an effort to class up the DeSoto into something resembling a touring band vehicle, the Kid had painted his name all over it. As the crowd began to swell on opening night, Thomas' drummer mentioned that everyone was stopping to look at the car on the way in. It seems that our hero had spelled his first name correctly, but left the 'o' out of Thomas, thus rendering the pronunciation of it to something close to "Kid Thumb-ass"!! No wonder they were curious. Botched self-promotion aside, Thomas found his new confines much to his liking. He ran into Hound Dog Taylor there, and the two Chicago expatriates played some dates together in early 1956. But after crowning his head with a pompadour processed hairdo that reached higher than most buildings in the city (check out the cover photo; izzat some hair or what?!?), the Kid was soon cashing in on the newly emerging rock & roll craze as an aces-up Little Richard impersonator. Thomas was good enough at it ("I had a big set of hair and some slick outfits") that some of the locals even mistook him for Little Richard, a mistake that would be rectified one afternoon when the Real Thing came to town: "I was in the lobby of the hotel where I was staying, and here's this little guy with a big set of hair like mine, and I'm looking at him and he's looking at me; I went over and said 'my name is Kid Thomas, and he said 'my name is Little Richard, very pleased to meet you.' That night he came to watch me play and I did some B.B. King numbers that really knocked him out." Thomas drifted about for the next three or four years, working the low end of the Chicago club circuit, occasionally landing a double booking with Magic Sam or Otis Rush. With no further recording prospects on hand, our hero headed out West, working a couple of clubs in Wichita again until 1958, when he pulled up stakes to Denver, CO, before finally settling in Los Angeles, California sometime in late 1958 or the first part of 1959. By the next year, Thomas hooked up with legendary record man George Mottola. Mottola, one of the great unsung heroes of the early days of rock & roll, was still working his regular gig as A&R man for Modern Records, producing acts like Jesse Belvin and writing hits like "Goodnight, My Love." But the Kid's powerhouse act apparently bowled him over. Studio time was duly booked, and Thomas, backed by a two guitars-drums-no bass combo, recorded the first version of the eerie slow blues howler "You Are an Angel," and what remains his finest moment, the utterly berserk "Rockin This Joint Tonight." When Mottola became too busy to do anything with the record, he pointed the Kid in the direction of one Brad Atwood, who promptly took one-half writers credit and issued it on his TRC-Transcontinental label. But just as Thomas was all set to do some television appearances and start promoting the record, Atwood got into some unspecified problems and the label folded. Another five years of club dates blew by before Kid Thomas entered a studio to record again. Now working under the name of Tommy Louis and the Rhythm Rockers, he recorded a pair of singles for the Los Angeles-based Muriel label. The first release, coupling "The Hurt Is On" with "I Love You So," got little to no airplay in California, but did some brisk business in the Southern states without any promotion behind it. The second single combined the storming "Wail Baby Wail" with the shuffle stomp of "Lookie There." Though "Wail Baby Wail" was firmly in the Little Richard mold of "Rockin This Joint Tonight," and featured deranged guitar work courtesy of Thomas' regular axe man Marshall Hooks, the record sank without a trace. By the late '60s, our hero was working everything from low-rent beer joints to private parties (one of these finding him employed by Dean Martin!). While working one of his mainstays, the Cozy Lounge in South East Los Angeles, the owner of Cenco Records caught the act and signed him to the label. With Lloyd Glenn on piano and Joe Bennett from the Rhythm Rockers on guitar, Kid Thomas entered a recording studio for one last time and recorded a new version of "(You Are An) Angel" and an instrumental tip of the hat to his home neighborhood, "Willowbrook." By the time anybody knew about it in the blues community, the label was out of business. By the time blues researcher Darryl Stolper tracked him down for an interview late in 1969, Thomas was sounding a lot more grizzled than his 35 years would lead you to believe: "I would love to go to England and do some records. It seems as if I have to work over there before I can be a hit over here, and I hear the people over there really dig the blues. Over here, someone will tell me I gotta do soul stuff...hell, I'm a blues singer, and my harp is my life, and my image or style isn't going to be changed for anybody. I'm Kid Thomas, the blues singer, like it or not." Maybe so, but during the day it was Kid Thomas, the lawn mowin' man, that was paying most of the bills during these lean times. One afternoon, while pulling his van away from a lucrative Beverly Hills home he had just finished up, he ran over a young boy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The boy died later that afternoon. A manslaughter indictment against Thomas was dropped because of insufficient evidence, but a few months later he was due back in court on charges of driving with a revoked license. Waiting for him outside the courthouse was the boys father, who pulled out a gun and shot Kid Thomas dead. Since the man who died in that shooting incident was named Louis Thomas Watts, scarcely a word on Kid Thomas death was heard in the blues community for quite some time. The eight issued sides of Kid Thomas/Tommy Louis continued to show up piecemeal on various European compilations throughout the '70s, but a complete overview was finally issued in the '90s on El Diablo. Those who love great harmonica work and wild-ass singing would do well to investigate the good rockin' sounds and deep blues of Kid Thomas, a man who knew the value of crazy, rockin' music and a big set of hair. = Cub Coda

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"The Wolf Pack" - Kid Thomas

Louis Thomas Watts, commonly known as Kid Thomas (20 June 1934 - 5 April 1970) was a rock and roll and blues musician. Kid Thomas was born in Sturgis, Mississippi. As a child he moved to Chicago, Illinois and learned the harmonica. While he later switched to rock and roll, he initially played blues in Chicago. Through the 1940s he played with Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Bo Diddley. In 1959 Producer George Motola recorded the single "Rockin this Joint Tonight." While unsuccessful commercially, his music has been reissued, most recently on Rhino Records "Loud Fast and Out of Control" box set. Finding little commercial success, Kid Thomas worked as a lawn mowing man in Los Angeles in the latter half of the 1960s. On September 3, 1969, while driving his truck he struck a young boy and killed him. Arrested on a charge of manslaughter, the charge was later dismissed for lack of evidence. However, the boy's father waited outside the courthouse and shot him. Kid Thomas died at UCLA Medical Center, Beverly Hills on April 5, 1970. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

The Wolf Pack - Kid Thomas

Kid Thomas wasn't just a Little Richard-clone, though his wild singing style and specially his incredible hairdo made him look like one. Actually he was a real blues man, a harmonica player, who named Little Walter (Jacobs) for his biggest influence and a teacher. Think 'bout that, unbelievers!
.. Kid Thomas was born Louis Thomas Watts on June 20, 1934, in Sturgis, Mississippi (I guess it may be necessary to mention, that this Kid Thomas is NOT the same person as Kid Thomas Valentine, famous jazz musician from New Orleans). Louis, alongside his parents V.T. and Virgie moved to Chicago in 1941. There he learnt to play the harmonica from a guy called Little Walter Smith, while he - in exchange - teached him to play the drums (Thomas' original instrument)! At that time he also got his nickname ('cause of his young age and tendency to a vicious lifestyle...).
..At some point Kid founded an own group and they managed to get a recording session for King-Federal (which actually was just a demo session). In Cincinnati, April 18, 1957 they recorded eight tracks, and two of them ended up to be Kid Thomas' first single release: "Wolf Pack" (a.k.a. "Wolf Call") and its flip-side, Screamin' Jay Hawkins-soundalike "The Spell". Those two and the six unreleased songs ("Jivin' Mess", "Come Here Woman", "She's Fine", "Here's My Story", "Ride On, Ride On" and "Beulah Come Back" a.k.a. "Beulah Lee") were so tough harmonica rhythm'n'blues, that Kid made his way straight to the heavyweight. And even harder stuff was to come later!
..In 1957 Kid Thomas heard 'bout Little Richard and changed his performance and outlook more into rock'n'roll. These two wild rockin' screwballs even met each other in 1957, and - the story tells that they really got along...
..One day, two hitch-hikers from Kansas came to Chicago and saw Kid and the group doin' a rehearsal at the Cadillac Baby's, which was their regular stage club. A little bit later Kid received a letter from these same guys and they wanted to book him to play in Wichita, Kansas! So - Kid and his boys stole (!) a car and drove there, playin' couple of months regularly at the Sportsman's Lounge (working also with Hound Dog Taylor, whom he had previously known in Chicago) - until the band (and the car) broke up and Kid had to return to windy city (Kid had some shorter club-vacancys in Wichita also after that).
..The future didn't look very rosy for Kid and he spent several years doin' minor part-time jobs and some occasional club gigs. At that time he worked for instance with Magic Sam and Otis Rush. Thomas got back to Wichita in 1958 and then to Denver, Colorado. Not until he settled in Los Angeles, California, in the late 1958 or early 1959, he could finally continue his musical bizness seriously. That moment really came true in 1960, when music-backgrounder and the Modern Records' A&R man George Mottola produced his single on Brad Atwood's TRC-Transcontinental label (Mottola made a hit "Goodnight My Love" for Jesse Belvin in 1956 and co-wrote the Eddie Cochran/Jimmy Madden-song "Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie" with Rickie Page. He also worked with Lee Hazelwood makin' "Lou Be Doo" for Sanford Clark). "Rockin' This Joint Tonite" backed with "You Are An Angel" was an A-class rock'n'roll-single, real wild and furious stuff. Kid plays his harmonica like a saxophone and howls like a madman! The record itself was even a tiny success in Chicago, although the TRC Records folded right after its release. Anway, it gave Kid enough courage to set up a new gig group. The Rhythm Rockers toured around all through the first part of 1960's, doin' club gigs, playin' mostly twist and other hip-music.
..In the mid 60's Thomas contracted with L.A.-based Muriel Records, that waxed two his singles under pseudonym Tommy Louis (and the Rhythm Rockers). The first release included "The Hurt Is On" and "I Love You So", which were basic blues ballads with funky incluences and sharp Buddy Guy/B.B. King-styled guitar solos (by Kid's regular guitarist Marshall Hooks). On the contrary, the second Muriel-release was like a flashback from Kid's rock'n'roll past: a truly blast-off full of speed, anger and lunacy! To make a long story short, "Wail Baby Wail" backed with "Lookie There" were simply the best kind of rockin' r'n'b that anyone made anywhere in 1965!
..Sadly none of Muriel singles succeeded and the next years Thomas had to make his living by singin' in private parties and lousy beer joints, like Cozy Lounge in South East Los Angeles. In the late 60's he made a single for Cenco-label. In this last studio session Kid recorded instrumental songs called "Cozy Lounge Blues" and "Willow-brook", and a new version of "You Are An Angel" (the last two were the single-songs). Still in the same year a blues researcher Daryl Stolper made him an interview, that was originally published on Blues Unlimited no. 72 in May of 1970 - just a month later Thomas' tragic death.
..Thomas, who lived then in Beverly Hills, worked as a lawn mowin' man. He owned a pick-up, that he used in his work. On September 3, 1969, a 10-year old boy was ridin' his bicycle, when he was struck by a van driven by Thomas, and died. Thomas got arrested and charged of manslaughter and drivin' with a revoked license. Finally the homicide case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence, but he was due back in court on the latter charge. Outside the courthouse waited the dead boy's father, who pulled out a gun and shot him down. Kid Thomas, 36, died almost immediately at 9:20 a:m at UCLA Medical Center, Beverly Hills on April 5, 1970.
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