Tabby Thomas

Tabby Thomas (born Ernest Joseph Thomas, January 5, 1929, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States) also known as Rockin' Tabby Thomas is an American Chicago blues musician.^[1] He sings and plays the piano and guitar, and specializes in a substyle of blues indigenous to southern Louisiana called swamp blues.

Career

Thomas is one of the best known blues musicians in Baton Rouge,^[2] and had, since the late 1970s, operated his own blues club there, Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall, until its closure in November 2004. Among his seven children is the noted blues musician Chris Thomas King.^[3]

Thomas had a stroke in 2004, which affected his playing but not his singing. Currently, on Saturday afternoons he hosts the radio show Tabby's Blues Box on Baton Rouge stations WBRH-FM and KBRH-AM, which originate from the media center of Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

References

^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
^ All-Music Guide entry for Tabby Thomas
^ Website of Chris Thomas King

External links

Tabby Thomas interview by Nick Spitzer, from American Routes radio program, June 2006

Persondata
Name	Thomas, Tabby
Alternative names	Thomas, Ernest Joseph
Short description	American Chicago blues and swamp blues musician
Date of birth	January 5, 1929
Place of birth	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Date of death
Place of death