A Label for the Blues Purist

The Fabulous Thunderbirds present a contemporary take on blues and R&B;, designed to reach a rock-loving mainstream audience along with blues fans. But bandleader Kim Wilson never has abandoned the purer forms of the music that he fell in love with, growing up near Santa Barbara.

That’s why he has started Blue Collar Music, which will market its releases on a grass-roots level at shows and via a Web site, www.bluecollarmusic.com. Along with Wilson’s own album “My Blues,” Blue Collar will release albums by pianist Fred Kaplan and harmonica player Al Blake, both of whom emerged on the O.C. scene in the 1970s with the Hollywood Fats Band.

Blake, who lives in Laguna Beach and earns his living as a gardener, said other blues labels he approached had deemed his music “too traditional” to release.

“[It’s hard] if you’re a purist like I am, and have been all my life,” he said. “But that’s what Kim is interested in, thank God, and he has the clout” to pave the way for good bookings and media exposure for the acts on Blue Collar.

The label, Wilson said, “is basically dedicated to the art form, as opposed to making money. Possibly it’ll let those guys go out and make money in live venues. We want to write our own page in the tradition, and elevate the standard of what’s going on with this music.”