As Baltimore native Greg Kihn hadn’t performed in wine country for more than a decade, I’d almost forgotten what a terrific rock ’n’ roller he is.

A “Kihnoisseur” who followed his career in the ’70s and ’80s, this fan and some 300 others were all smiles Thursday night when Kihn — now a morning deejay in the South Bay — returned to Napa Valley to remind us of the halcyon Beserkeley days.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Kihn settled in the Bay Area in the mid-1970s, becoming one of the first artists signed to Matthew Kaufman’s now legendary Beserkley Records. Along with Jonathan Richman, Earthquake and the Rubinoos, Kihn helped to establish the label’s sound — quite melodic in the rock ’n’ roll vein with a strong ’60s pop sensibility.

In 1976, after his debut on the compilation Beserkley “Chartbusters,” Kihn recorded his first album with his own band consisting of Ronnie Dunbar (guitar), Steve Wright (bass) and Larry Lynch (drums). Subsequently, he released an album each year and built a strong cult following through constant touring, becoming Beserkley’s biggest seller.

In 1981, he earned his first big hit with the Top 20 single, “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ’Em),” from the “Rockihnroll” album.

Kihn continued in a more commercial vein through the most of the ’80s with a series of pun-titled albums: “Kihntinued” (1982), “Kihnspiracy” (1983), “Kihntageous” (1984) and “Citizen Kihn” (1985).

He scored his biggest hit with 1983’s memorable “Jeopardy” (which reached number two on the charts) from the “Kihnspiracy” album. One more single broke the Top 40, 1985’s “Lucky.”

The Kihn band appeared often at a downtown Napa club, the Oberon, where a savvy booker named Mark Gholson brought the best Bay Area bands to perform week after week. Regulars got to know Greg Kihn up close and personal.

Many of them were on hand Thursday night at Copia where Richard Miami booked the Kihn combo as part of the current summer outdoor concert series. (Actually, it was Miami who probably contracted with Kihn for his last previous appearance here, more than a decade ago at Domaine Chandon.)

But the only nostalgia on the bill Thursday night was the material the band presented. Kihn sounded as fresh and good as he did three decades ago, both in voice and on guitar. This time around, however, lead guitarist in the group was Kihn’s son, Ry, who served up one blistering guitar solo after another. From refreshing our memories with another great Kihn song, “Remember,” to sending the appreciative crowd into orbit with a sensational version of Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” the 2007 Greg Kihn Band flat-out kicked ass.

With legendary session keyboardist Tim Gorman (a former touring member of The Who band), Dave Danza on drums (a former member of the Eddie Money group) and thundering Dennis Murphy on bass, the Kihns offered more than two hours of outstanding rock and roll.

From Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” to a “Springsteen Suite” (that included a song, “Rendezvous,” the Boss gave Kihn to perform and the classic 1975 hit, “Thunder Road”), the evening’s two sets reminded all that Greg Kihn was — and still is — a formidable force on the Bay Area music scene.

They just don’t make ’em like that any more.