Biography
Originally formed in Crawley, Sussex, by a collective of teachers and students, the British ensemble that fused skiffle with blues and jug-band traditions first included Jona Lewie—born John Lewis on 14 March 1947 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, and handling keyboards plus vocals—alongside Graham Hine on guitar and vocals, Jim Pitts covering guitar, vocals and harmonica, Pete Gibson on trombone, vocals and percussion, Dave Arnott at the drums, and two additional percussionists, Keith Trussell, also known as Keef Trouble, and Big John Randall. Their self-titled 1970 debut long-player generated curiosity rooted chiefly in its novelty appeal, yet wider commercial traction arrived only after the collective briefly recorded under the alias Terry Dactyl And The Dinosaurs. The resulting 45, “Seaside Shuffle,” climbed to number 2 on the British charts in 1972, after which the Thunderbolts resumed their original identity once follow-up singles could not replicate that peak.
Lewie subsequently launched a solo trajectory and later scored a seasonal British success with the Christmas perennial “Stop The Cavalry.” Successive line-ups of the Thunderbolts have persisted on the club circuit, where their unvarnished approach to blues and R&B continues to draw strong support. By refusing to dilute their sound they have cultivated a devoted audience, regularly supplementing standard instruments onstage with eccentric homemade devices such as the Zobstick, the Lager Prone and the Electric Ironing Board. In 1993, with Randall now doubling as road manager, the Boogie Street configuration welcomed Taffy Davies on vocals, piano, clarinet and mandolin together with Pete Swan on bass. Entering the new millennium, the core roster once again featured original members Pitts, Hine, Trussell, Randall and Gibson, completed by Davies and bassist Dougie Strathie.
Lewie subsequently launched a solo trajectory and later scored a seasonal British success with the Christmas perennial “Stop The Cavalry.” Successive line-ups of the Thunderbolts have persisted on the club circuit, where their unvarnished approach to blues and R&B continues to draw strong support. By refusing to dilute their sound they have cultivated a devoted audience, regularly supplementing standard instruments onstage with eccentric homemade devices such as the Zobstick, the Lager Prone and the Electric Ironing Board. In 1993, with Randall now doubling as road manager, the Boogie Street configuration welcomed Taffy Davies on vocals, piano, clarinet and mandolin together with Pete Swan on bass. Entering the new millennium, the core roster once again featured original members Pitts, Hine, Trussell, Randall and Gibson, completed by Davies and bassist Dougie Strathie.
Albums
