Blues legend Muddy Waters once called Kim Wilson his favorite harmonica player and singer. The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Kim Wilson still root their music in the blues, but they also branch out into rock, soul, jazz and other rootsy styles.

They’ll bring it all to the MSU Riley Center stage on March 27 to kick off the Riley Center’s Spring/Summer Series. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., with a pre-show party and refreshments in the Grand Lobby starting at 6 p.m.

The concert will launch a great entertainment weekend that will continue with the 59Twenty Music Festival on March 28. The outdoor event, at City Hall in downtown Meridian, will feature the Wailers, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, Black Pistol Fire, Old Southwest, Mississippi Shakedown, and Storage 24, plus local artists. The festival is a fund-raiser that benefits Care Lodge, a domestic violence shelter.

Wilson co-founded The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1974 amid the exuberant music scene of Austin, Texas. The band scored a top 10 hit in 1986 with “Tuff Enuff.” Today, Wilson’s voice, which has added depth and richness over the years, plays off the stinging guitars of Johnny Moeller and Mike Keller. Bassist Randy Bermudes and drummer Jay Moeller round out the lineup.

Wilson loves the way the Thunderbirds’ sound has diversified. “We’re an American music band,” he says, “and we’re much higher energy than we were before.”

Tickets are $39 and $33 at the MSU Riley Center Box Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.msurileycenter.com or by calling the box office at 601-696-2200.