Rueben Williams founded the Thunderbird Management Group more than 20 years ago. Its primary mission is to develop artists and create long-lasting careers in the music industry for those artists. From the successful 20-plus-year career of Tab Benoit, one of Williams’ first clients, to the rapid rise of current artists like Devon Allman, Samantha Fish, and Mike Zito, Williams has clearly succeeded. Williams’ company has represented such artists as Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Anders Osborne, the Royal Southern Brotherhood, Jonathon Boogie Long, the Honey Island Swamp Band, and others. Through those relationships, Williams has also been involved as executive or associate producer on over 25 records, many of which have been nominated for GRAMMYs® and Blues Music Awards. These accomplishments run concurrently with Williams’ and Benoit’s founding of and involvement with the Voice of the Wetlands, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Through VOW’s recordings, festivals, and educational outreach, they hope to bring public awareness to and create solutions for the coastal erosion in southern Louisiana. Part of this outreach occurred in 2006, when Williams and Benoit brought more than 50 New Orleans musicians to perform at the 2006 Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
