In July 1942 he was signed to the new Capitol label and began recording as part of Freddie Slacks fifteen piece band. He cut his first two classics, "I Gotta Break Baby" and "Mean Old World" showing his easy swinging vocals and his distinctive guitar sound and riffs that would become classic T-Bone. In 1942 his good friend Charlie Christian died of Tuberculosis, World War 2 was raging and a recording ban started. From 1942 he was a regular at the Rhumboogie club in Chicago and when it closed in 1945 the owner started a label, Rhumboogie Records, and T-Bone was one of the first artists to record for the label. He recorded ten tracks for the label and having had some success he decided to move back to the hottest music scene in the country, Central Avenue, Los Angeles. He was soon booked in as the star attraction at the Club Alabam, the hottest club on the strip.

In 1946 he signed to Black And White, though he was sought by many bigger labels. This was the start of T-Bones golden period. He began recording in June with the legendary Jack McVea All Stars as his backing band, recording four tracks including "Bobby Sox Blues" which got to No.3 on the race charts. He recorded again in December the same year, producing the classic "Hard Pain Blues".

The immortal classic "Call It Stormy Monday" was recorded in his third B&W session in September 1947. This was to become the most famous of T-Bones tunes and has been covered by many artists. During November and December he recorded over 30 tracks because there was a recording ban starting at the end of 1947, and the record companies needed to stockpile the masters for later release. Some of the later recordings had quite a jazz tinge and "Inspiration Blues" shows a clear bebop influence. "T-Bone Shuffle" was a hit in 1949 as was "Go Back To The One You Love" in 1950. His last session with B&W on December 29th produced more classic tunes such as "I'm Still In Love With You", one of T-Bones most romantic songs, and "West Side Baby" which was also a big jukebox hit. By this time Capitol Records had bought all the B&W recordings and was reissuing the best tracks for jukeboxes across the country. This was to be the end of his golden period, though he produced much great work after this time.

When the recording ban started in January 1948, T-Bone started to lead his own eleven piece band and went on tour, running a heavy schedule until 1955. T-Bone signed with Imperial Records in 1950 and recorded over fifty tracks in 1954 alone. The new recordings were similar to the B&W sessions but had a heavier R&B flavour, with his drummers swapping brushes for sticks and the arrangements becoming more brash and modern. T-Bones guitar and vocals now became more prominent and the rest of the band hardly got a chance to blow. In December 1951 T-Bone confirms his place in the guitar hall of fame with some excellent recordings.