| Fran Christina | |
| Birth Name: | Francis Anthony Christina |
| Birth Date: | 1 February 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Westerly, Rhode Island, US |
| Genre: | Blues, blues rock, western swing, jump blues, R&B |
| Occupations: | Musician, Producer, Printer |
| Instruments: | Drums, Vocals |
| Years Active: | 1963-present |
| Label: | Chrysalis, Epic, Sony, Columbia |
| Past Member Of: | Roomful of Blues, The Fabulous Thunderbirds |
Francis Anthony Christina (born February 1, 1951) is an American drummer known for his work in Texas blues band the Fabulous Thunderbirds (1979–97). He was also the founding drummer of Roomful of Blues (1967-1971).[1] [2]
Christina as born in Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. He is the third of seven children born to James Christina and Josephine Trebisacci in an Italian-American Catholic family. As a boy, he would sneak into the local Black Baptist church to listen to the music there. At the age of 10, he improvised as a drummer for his brother's garage band. At age 12, Christina was given his first real set of drums.[3] He taught himself music, then formed a band and began to perform at venues including a bowling alley lounge and a strip club.[1] [2]
Roomful of Blues
In 1967, Christina along with Duke Robillard, Al Copley and Larry Peduzzi formed the blues band, Roomful of Blues.[4] The quartet eventually became an R&B/jump blues band.
The Boogie Brothers
Following Roomful of Blues in 1971, Christina joined with his former associates, including guitarist/ vocalist Johnny Nicholas, harmonica Steve Nardella, and bass player Sarah Brown, and formed the Boogie Brothers in 1971, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Except for Sarah Brown, all the members were previously part of a group named Black Cat. They became the house band at The Blind Pig, where they were a backing/touring band for various blues artists, including Johnny Shines, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, Boogie Woogie Red, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Billy Boy Arnold, and others.[5] in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In 1971 and 1972, Christina and the Boogie Brothers performed at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.[6]
The Rhythm Rockers, Vipers, and others
In 1972, Christina toured with Johnny Nicholas and Brown as the Rhythm Rockers, backing Big Walter Horton, and in the following year, he formed The Vipers. He then became a drummer for the multi-Grammy award-winning western swing band Asleep at the Wheel and later toured the US with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Christina performed on two albums with the band Asleep at the Wheel. In 1983 Christina performed on Carlos Santana's Havana Moon album. In 1984 he recorded with Stevie Ray Vaughan on the multi-platinum album Couldn't Stand the Weather and in 1988 he performed with Bonnie Raitt on the Grammy Award-winning Nick of Time album.[7] He then toured the US with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Christina was the drummer for the western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
In 1979, he officially became a member of an Austin Blues band The Fabulous Thunderbirds.[8] [9] [10] [11] Other than Christina on drums, the band included Jimmie Vaughan on guitar, Kim Wilson on vocals and harmonica, and Keith Ferguson on bass. After joining the band full-time, Christina performed with the band's second release What's the Word for the Chrysalis label. He then performed on several albums with the band.[12] [8]
The band's 1986 album Tuff Enuff[13] was commercially successful and was certified platinum. They were nominated for two Grammys in 1987. Several artists invited them to open shows including The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Tom Petty, The Doobie Brothers, The Who, REO Speedwagon, B.B. King, The Eurythmics, Bob Seeger and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Christina was a member of the band until he left in 1996. During his time with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the band won the W. C. Handy Band of the Year award in 1986, was nominated for two Grammys in 1987, and their songs were selected as soundtracks for numerous movies[14] and Christina departed in 1996.[15]
Post-Thunderbirds careerChristina played with blues singer and pianist Marcia Ball and Doug Sahm’s Last Real Texas Blues Band before retiring from the road in 1999.[16] In 2021 - 22 Christina worked on a Matt "Guitar" Murphy tribute album project with his brother, fellow drummer Bobby Christina. Christina performed on the album and produced several cuts. Since 1995, Christina has been producing intaglio etchings for his wife, artist Julie Speed.[17]
In 2023, he performed on Al Staehely's "Somewhere In West Texas".
| 1981 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Best Blues/Soul | Buddy | Won | |
| 1981 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Band of the Year[18] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1981 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Best Blues Band[19] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1982 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Band of the Year[20] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1982 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Best Blues Band[21] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1982 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Hall of Fame[22] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1986 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Band of the Year[23] | W. C. Handy | Won | |
| 1987 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds "Down at Antones" | Best Rock Instrumental[24] | Grammy | Nominated | |
| 1987 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds "Tuff Enough" | Best Rock Vocal | Grammy | Nominated | |
| 1987 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Band of the Year[25] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 1990 | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Band of the Decade[26] | Austin Chronicle Music Awards | Won | |
| 2012 | Roomful of Blues | Hall of Fame[27] | Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame | Won |
| ALBUMS | (** PLATINUM *** MULTI-PLATINUM) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Title | Label | Year | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | What's the Word | Chrysalis | 1980 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Butt Rockin’ | Chrysalis | 1981 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | T-Bird Rhythm | Chrysalis | 1982 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds |
| CBS/Sony | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Hot Number | Epic | 1988 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Powerful Stuff | Epic | 1989 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Walk That Walk | Epic | 1991 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Roll of the Dice | Private | 1995 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Girls Go Wild | Benchmark | 2000 |
| Band Member | Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobo Jenkins | Just a Fool in Love Again | Big Star | 1972 | |
| Boogie Woogie Red | Live at the Bling Pig | Blind Pig | 1973 | |
| Boogie Woogie Red | Red Hot | Blind Pig | 1977 | |
| Johnny Shines, Big Walter Horton, The Boogie Brothers | Ann Arbor Jazz & Blues Fest | Atlantic | 1977 | |
| Asleep at the Wheel | Served Live | Atlantic | 1978 | |
| Asleep at the Wheel | Framed | Atlantic | 1980 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | King Biscuit | KB Flour Hour | 1987 | |
| Big Walter Horton | Live at the El Mocambo | Red Lightnin’ | 1991 | |
| Big Walter Horton | Ann Arbor Jazz & Blues Fest #4 | Sequel | 1996 | |
| Marcia Ball | Let Me Play With Your Poodle | Rounder | 1997 | |
| Al Copley | Good Understanding | Bullseye | 1997 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Martin Scorcese Presents | Hip-O | 2003 | |
| Doug Sahm | Live in Stockholm | Dougalive1 | 2012 |
| Guest | Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Santana | Havana Moon | Columbia | 1983 | |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan |
| Epic | 1984 | |
| Denny Freeman | Blues Cruise | Amazing | 1986 | |
| Lou Ann Barton | Read My Lips | Antones | 1987 | |
| Ron Levi | Wild Kingdom | Black Top | 1987 | |
| Bonnie Raitt |
| Capitol | 1988 | |
| Dunn Packer Band | Love Against the Wall | Tramp Records | 1990 | |
| Kim Wilson | Tigerman | Antone's | 1993 | |
| WC Clark | Heart of Gold | Black Top | 1994 | |
| Kim Wilson | That's Life | Antone's | 1995 | |
| Sarah Brown | Sayin’ What I'm Thinkin’ | Antone's | 1996 | |
| Pat Boyack & Prowlers | Super Blue and Funky | Bullseye | 1997 | |
| The Radio Kings | Money Road | Bulls Eye | 1998 | |
| Knickerbocker All-Stars | Open Mike at the Knick | JP Cadillac | 2016 | |
| Lou Ann Barton | The Best | Rockbeat | 2016 |
| SINGLES | Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Vipers | “Buzzard Luck”/Huron River Drive" | Debut launch Blind Pig | 1973 | |
| Asleep at the Wheel | “Choo Choo Ch Boogie” | Capitol | 1979 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Sugar Coated Love” | Chrysalis | 1980 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White” | Chrysalis | 1981 | |
| Carlos Santana | “Havana Moon” | Columbia | 1983 | |
| Junior Brown | “Too Many Nights in the Roadhouse” | Dynamic | 1984 | |
| Denny Freeman | “Out of Control” | V8 | 1984 | |
| Sarah Brown | “Four Hours Sleep” | V-Eight | 1985 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Wrap it Up” | Sonet & CBS | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Tuff Enough” | Sonet | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “How Do You Spell Love?” | CBS | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Why Get Up?” | CBS | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Stand Back” | CBS | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “The Crawl” | Chrysalis | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Powerful Stuff” | Electra | 1988 |
| Band | Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Vaughan/T-Birds | The Jimmie Vaughan Story | Last | 2021 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Austin R&B Xmas | Epic | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Antone’s Anthology Vol. 2 | Antone's | 1991 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | The Essential | EMI Capitol | 1991 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Hot Stuff: Greatest Hits | Epic | 1992 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Blues Masters | Rhino | 1992 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Wrap It Up | Sony BMG | 1993 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Butt Rockin’/T-Bird Rhythm | Beat Goes ON | 1996 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Different Tacos | Country Town | 1996 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Best of Fabulous Thunderbirds | Chrysalis | 1997 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Tuff Enuff/Powerful Stuff | Sony Music | 1999 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Gold & Platinum Hits ‘80s | Realm Records | 2001 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Tacos Deluxe | Benchmark | 2003 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Collection | Disky | 2004 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Tuff Enuff/Hot Number | Acadia | 2007 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Pure America | Sony | 2011 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Early Bird Special - The Best of the Fabulous Thunderbirds | Benchmark | 2011 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Pure Guitar Legends | Sony | 2012 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Powerful Stuff/Walk That Walk | Floating World | 2013 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | The Bad & The Best Of | Repertoire | 2013 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Tuff Enuff/Roll of the Dice | Floating World | 2014 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Portfolio | EMI | 1987 |
| Producer/Executive Producer (EP) | Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Freeman | Blues Cruise | Amazing | 1986 | |
| Fabulous Thunderbirds (EP) | Tuff Enuff | CBS/SONY | 1986 | |
| Fabulous Thunderbirds (EP) | Powerful Stuff | CBS/SONY | 1989 | |
| Fabulous Thunderbirds (EP) | Walk that Walk/Talk that Talk | CBS /SONY | 1991 | |
| Sarah Brown | Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ | Antone's | 1996 |
| Film/TV Show | Song | Performed With | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roadie | “Texas Me & You” | Asleep at the Wheel | 1979 | |
| Wanda Nevada | “Behind Shadowed Walls” | Asleep at the Wheel | 1979 | |
| Tex | “Incidental” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1982 | |
| Tough Guys | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1986 | |
| The Naked Cage | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1986 | |
| Gung Ho | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1986 | |
| My Cousin Vinny | “Way Down South” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1987 | |
| Porky's Revenge | Stagger Lee | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1985 | |
| Live from London | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1985 | |
| Don't Mess With Texas | “Don’t Mess With Texas” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1987 | |
| Light of Day (appears in) | “Twisted Off” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1987 | |
| Bull Durham | “Can’t Tear it up Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1988 | |
| “Powerful Stuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1988 | ||
| Great Balls of Fire | “Great Balls of Fire” | Jerry Lee Lewis, Dennis Quaid, Jimmie Vaughan, John Doe | 1989 | |
| The Preppie Murders | “Wrap It Up” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1989 | |
| Ricochet | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1991 | |
| Married With Children | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 1992 | |
| The Game Plan | “Tuff Enuff” | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | 2007 |
| Band | Song | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucky Oceans | “Deep Water” | 1978 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “How Do You Spell Love” | 1980 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Can’t Tear It Up Enough” | 1980 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | "I Believe I'm in Love With You" | 1981 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Live From London” | 1985 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Tuff Enuff” | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Wrap It Up” | 1986 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “How do You Spell Love” ver.2 | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Stand Back” | 1987 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Powerful Stuff” | 1988 | |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | “Knock Yourself Out” | 1989 | |
| Denis Quaid, Jimmie Vaughan, John Doe | “Great Balls of Fire” | 1989 |
Drums: Slingerland Radio King, Pearl Custom, Christina Custom Card, Premiere, Tama
Snare: 6 ½ + 8 1/2 x12
Rack: 9 x 14
Floor Tom: 16 x 16
Cymbals: Sabian 22”ride, 18” crash, K Zildjian 16” crash