Jimmie Vaughan is leaving the Fabulous Thunderbirds after 15 years, but he's not going away mad, the rock band's manager says.
"Jimmie's not leaving the band on a bad note," said manager Mark Proct in Dallas. "He's real happy. Obviously no one in the band wanted to see him leave. But it's a decision Jimmie made on the basis of his personal life and his family."Vaughan, who helped found the group and shaped its sound with his bluesy guitar licks, will be replaced by two guitarists - Duke Robillard, founder of Roomful of Blues, and Doug "Kid" Bangham, formerly of the East Coast band Sugar Ray and the Blue Tones.
Vaughan is working with his brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan, on a project scheduled for release in September. The brothers are considered to be among rock music's leading guitarists.