The Nighthawks

The Nighthawks came together in 1972 as a high-energy bar band based in Washington, D.C., drawing heavily on Chicago blues traditions. Harpist and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery launched the group, which spent more than a decade building its reputation as a reliable unit through extensive touring and recording work alongside John Hammond and alumni from Muddy Waters’ band. After Thackery departed in 1986, Wenner reassembled the lineup around longtime members Jan Zukowski on bass and Pete Ragusa on drums. Their 1991 Powerhouse album Trouble fused blues, R&B, and rock elements into the high-octane sound forged across thousands of road dates. Later projects included the live set Rock This House in 1993, Pain & Paradise in 1996, and Still Wild in 1999. Live Tonight, drawn from 2001 performances, appeared in spring 2002. The band continued releasing music with Blue Moon in Your Eye in 2006, American Landscape in 2009, and Back Porch Party in 2015. In 2017 they issued All You Gotta Do, which contained their rendition of Brenda Lee’s “That’s All You Gotta Do.”