John Peel Wiki

Changes to the look of John Peel Wiki will take place in the near future due to a new skin being rolled out over Oct/Nov across Wikia. Please see the Wikia Staff Blog for further details. On this site, the changes will affect the navigation from the left menu, as well as introduce a fixed page width with narrower content space. Please be patient while adjustments are made for the switch to the new system.

UPDATE: As the change is now in force for some users, I have switched the navigation to the simplified one for the new system. Please check Navigation in the Help section if you can't find things. I also initially made small adjustments to the front page layout, but have now reverted to the old look until all users are on the new system.

COUNTDOWN: Just a reminder for people still using Monaco that the final switch to the new skin is due on Nov. 3. After that, it will no longer be offered as an option. Sorry. Nothing to do with me.

Steve W

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John Peel Wiki
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Kid Thomas

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(This page is about the rock & roll musician. For the jazz musician of the same name, see Kid Thomas(2)).
Kid Thomas

Louis Thomas Watts, commonly known as Kid Thomas (20 June 1934 – 5 April 1970) was an American musician, who created music in the rock, rock & roll and blues genres.

Kid Thomas was born in Sturgis, Mississippi, United States. As a child he moved to Chicago, Illinois, and learned the harmonica. While he later switched to rock and roll, he initially played blues. By the early 1950s, he played regularly with Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Bo Diddley, and as a solo performer. In 1955 he recorded his first single, "Wolf Pack", for Federal Records. However, it was not successful, and other recordings he made for Federal went unissued for many years.

After a stint performing in clubs in Wichita, Kansas, where he joined up with Hound Dog Taylor, he travelled to Los Angeles with the idea of emulating the success of Little Richard. There, he met record producer George Motola, and in 1959 recorded the single "Rockin' This Joint To-Nite," which was released on Motola's Transcontinental Records label. He continued to perform with a band in Los Angeles clubs, often as Tommy Louis and the Rythm (sic) Rockers or Tommy Louis and the Versatiles. In 1965, he recorded two singles for the Muriel Records label, "The Hurt Is On" and "Wail Baby Wail", another full-blooded rocker featuring guitar by Marshall Hooks, but neither were hits. His final record, as Tommy Lewis, was "(You Are An) Angel", on the Cenco Records label in 1969.

Finding little commercial success, Kid Thomas worked as a lawn mowing man in Los Angeles in the latter half of the 1960s. On September 3, 1969, while driving his truck he struck a young boy and killed him. Arrested on a charge of manslaughter, the charge was later dismissed for lack of evidence. However, the boy's father waited outside the courthouse and shot him. Kid Thomas died at UCLA Medical Center, Beverly Hills on April 5, 1970.

Links to Peel[]

Peel seemed to have first played the musician's material on his radio programmes in the late 70's and would play further material from him on his shows until the early 00's. He often played his track, "Wail Baby Wail" on his radio programmes.

Shows Played[]

Wail,_Baby,_Wail

Wail, Baby, Wail

1979
1981
1984
  • 23 April 1984: Rocking This Joint Tonight (EP - Rockin' This Joint Tonite With Kid Thomas) JSP
  • 24 April 1984: Wail Baby Wail (EP - Rockin' This Joint Tonite With Kid Thomas) JSP
  • 02 May 1984 (BFBS): Wail Baby Wail (7" EP - Rockin' This Joint Tonite) JSP
1987
1991
  • 01 September 1991: Wail Baby Wail (7" - Rockin' This Joint Tonight With Kid Thomas) JSP
1994
  • 06 August 1994: ‘Wail Baby Wail (7 inch EP - Rockin' This Joint Tonite)’ (JSP)
2003

External Links[]

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