Earl Thomas |
In 1971, Earl Thomas became the lead singer of the Kings Of Rhythm, famed backing band formed by legendary musician and bandleader Ike Turner. The only trouble was, the band did not find out until 2008. It was in a small theatre on the island of Guam where Earl’s father had brought his son to see the movie Soul To Soul. During the opening credits, Ike and Tina Turner appear with the (original) Kings of Rhythm performing the movie’s theme song of the same name and it was at that moment, the young Earl turned to his father and said, “Daddy, that’s what I’m gonna be when I grow up. I’m gonna be a singer in a band!” Apparently a father’s gentle nudge had turned into a shove. And Earl Thomas did become “a singer in a band” and since his world stage debut at Switzerland’s renowned Montreux Jazz Festival, he has enjoyed a successful recording career with 12 records to his credit, has toured extensively throughout Europe and America, has had several songs in feature films and major television shows, and has written songs for legends, Etta James, Solomon Burke and Tom Jones. Then, movie producer David Peck chose Earl Thomas to sing an updated version of the Soul To Soul movie theme song for DVD release, the song Ike & Tina performed in the opening scene from the movie that had changed the course of his life. Finally, in 2004 he met Ike Turner at the movie premier in Hollywood. Ike was impressed with Earl’s vast knowledge of his and Tina’s work from the ‘70s and came to quickly respect Earl’s innate ability to sing their songs with such precision. Earl remained in contact with Ike and some of the Kings of Rhythm band ever since. On December 12, 2007 looking to put together a band for an upcoming date, Earl decided to take a shot and call the Kings of Rhythm to see if they might be free. As he was making the call on his landline, a text came in on his cell phone from the Kings guitarist. Ike Turner had just died. While a sad moment in all their lives, it was also pivotal as it allowed Earl to work with The Kings Of Rhythm throughout 2008 and record a new CD entitled Earl Thomas & The Kings Of Rhythm Live At Biscuits & Blues an homage to the early Ike & Tina Turner live records. No longer the furniture in the living room, this Grammy Award winning band makes their European debut and begins a full tour schedule in 2010, kicking off in London. Earl Thomas is the singer in the band. It just took him 37 years to do it.
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