If you were listening to Top 40 AM radio in late 1977 or early 1978, you couldn’t escape the song “Thunder Island,” performed and written by Jay Ferguson.
The track soared to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming an enduring soundtrack of the soft-rock era. Yet, nearly five decades after the song’s release, many classic rock fans still don’t know that the song’s soaring guitar solo came from an uncredited rock icon.
When Ferguson entered the studio to record his second solo album, he had already honed his chops as a seasoned musician. According to AllMusic, in the late 1960s, he fronted the psychedelic rock band Spirit, co-writing their hit “I Got a Line on You.” He followed that success by co-founding Jo Jo Gunne, scoring another hit with “Run Run Run” before taking a break from the music industry.
Producer Bill Szymczyk asked the now-solo artist to visit his Coconut Grove studio in Miami, where Ferguson would record a new song, “Thunder Island.” Szymczyk, a longtime friend and collaborator with Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, asked him to contribute to Ferguson’s second LP, Thunder Island.
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Walsh provided the guitar solo that gave “Thunder Island” its edge. It was the secret weapon that elevated Ferguson’s lyrics, inspired by a real-life experience involving his wife, into one of the late ’70s’ most enduring rock anthems.
Walsh wasn’t credited on Ferguson’s single. However, his name was listed among the contributors on the LP’s liner notes.
The mystery of who played the solo that transformed the song lingered for decades. Millions of listeners never knew the Eagles icon played lead guitar on the track.
While “Thunder Island” marked Jay Ferguson’s highest peak as a solo performer, followed by his 1979 Top 40 hit “Shakedown Cruise,” his career in the music industry was far from over. He later stepped into a second act as a Hollywood composer.
Ferguson composed the memorable theme song for the hit NBC comedy The Office, as well as scoring major film and television projects such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Almost 50 years later, “Thunder Island” stands as one of the most unforgettable songs of the 1970s. The song brought together a seasoned singer-songwriter and an Eagles guitar legend for three and a half minutes of pure pop-rock gold that remains one of the definitive soft rock songs of all time.
Related: 1979 No. 1, Once Called the ‘Best Song of the Summer,’ Remains a Party Favorite Nearly 50 Years Later
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