In the seventies Pat Rushco-founded a group called Thunderhead. During that time, blues guitar legend, Johnny Winter was in New Orleans. Johnny sometimes would sit in with Thunderhead. He always remembered his times on stage with Pat, so when drummer Bobby 'T' Torello mentioned to him that Winter would like to form a band with them in it, they joined. They were both hired for Johnny's band during '77/'78, and went on tour with him in the U.S.A. in '77. Pat was on Johnny's White Hot & Blue album from '78, and played slide on "Walkin' By Myself", from that same album. Besides Johnny, Pat is the only other guitarist to ever play slide on a Winter album. Pat and Torello, when not touring with Winter, performed with Michael Bolton in New Haven, Connecticut. While there, Pat met Dan Hartman who wrote Edgar Winter's big hit "Free Ride". In Hartman's studio, Winter produced two classic Muddy Waters albums, I'm Ready and Hard Again. (It was during this time that Pat had a chance to meet Muddy as well as harp legend, James Cotton.)
- Thunderhead Band:
- Mike Dagger - Vocals
- Pat Rush - Lead and Slide Guitar
- Ronnie Dobbs - Lead and String Guitar
- Othi T. Ware - Bass
- Bobby Torello - Drums
