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Stevie Ray Vaughan

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Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan (born Stephen Ray Vaughan; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, whose broad appeal made him an influential electric blues guitarist. To date, a total of 18 albums of Vaughan's work have been released.[1] In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,[2] and Classic Rock Magazine ranked him #3 in their list of the 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes in 2007.

Family history

Stephen Ray Vaughan was born on October 3, 1954 at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, Texas to Jim and Martha Vaughan. His brother, Jimmie Vaughan, is three years older. At age 7, Stevie acquired his first guitar, a Sears toy guitar with only three strings. Among the first songs that Stevie learned to play were hits by The Nightcaps, a Texas garage rock band that had a national hit in 1962 with "Wine, Wine, Wine". In 1963, Stevie got his first electric guitar, a hand-me-down from his brother.[3]

Teenage years

Jimmie's friend, Doyle Bramhall, heard Stevie playing a song called "Jeff's Boogie" by The Yardbirds and was impressed. Bramhall would be instrumental in Stevie’s vocal and songwriting development. In 1967, Stevie’s first band, The Chantones, played an outdoor show at Robert E. Lee Park in Dallas and began to advance beyond school dances and private parties. During the summer of 1970, after falling into a barrel of grease while working for a fast food restaurant, Stevie quit his job and devoted his working life to music. He then formed his first relatively long-lasting band, Blackbird.[4]

Austin

In 1971, Stevie made his first studio recording, sitting in with a high school band called A Cast of Thousands for a compilation album named A New Hi. The two songs that were on the album showcased Stevie's early burgeoning talent during Christmas break, he dropped out of high school and moved to Austin, Texas with Blackbird. Their home base was a nightclub on the outskirts of town called the Soap Creek Saloon. In late 1972, he joined a rock band called Krackerjack, but quit a few months later when the lead singer decided that the band should wear theatrical makeup on stage.

In March 1973, Marc Benno added Stevie to his band the Nightcrawlers, which was recording an album in Hollywood for A&M Records. The recording featured Doyle Bramhall on the drums, along with the beginning of a songwriting partnership with Stevie. The album was not released, however, and the band traveled back to Texas. A year later, he found a battered 1963 Fender Stratocaster at a music store in Austin. It would remain as his favorite guitar for the rest of his life.

In late December 1974, Stevie joined a popular Austin band Paul Ray & the Cobras, averaging approximately five shows a week.[5] The Cobras released a record and won "Band of the Year" in an Austin music poll. Three years later, Stevie left the Cobras and formed Triple Threat Revue with vocalist Lou Ann Barton, W.C. Clark on bass guitar, Mike Kindred on keyboards, and Fredde "Pharoah" Walden on drums. Later, Jackie Newhouse replaced W.C. Clark on bass and Chris Layton replaced Walden on drums. Stevie and Lou Ann rename the band "Double Trouble", though Barton left in 1980 to sing for Roomful of Blues.[6] On December 23, 1979, Stevie and Lenora "Lenny" Bailey were married between sets at the Rome Inn nightclub in Austin.

International spotlight

Tommy Shannon, the former bassist in Krackerjack, replaced Jackie Newhouse in 1981. In July, the band played a music festival in Manor, Texas and a videotape of the performance was given to Rolling Stones drummer, Charlie Watts.[7] Double Trouble then played a private party for The Rolling Stones at New York's Danceteria nightclub. On July 17, 1982, Stevie and Double Trouble played the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the first unsigned act to perform at the event. A few in the audience started booing the loud band, though Stevie later met David Bowie and Jackson Browne after the show.

Bowie asked Stevie to play lead guitar on his new album Let's Dance. The album became Bowie's best-selling album of his career. Bowie also offered Stevie to go on his Serious Moonlight Tour. Stevie, however, could not promote his band outside the tour. Thus, Stevie declined to go on the tour.

Browne offered Stevie time in his recording studio in Los Angeles free of charge, and the band accepted the offer in November 1982. In the spring of the following year, music producer John Hammond heard a tape of the band's Montreux performance, and got the band a recording contract with Epic Records. Hammond is credited with discovering Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, among others. On June 13, 1983, the recordings in Browne's studio morphed into Texas Flood, Stevie and Double Trouble's debut album, and was released to glowing reviews, selling over half a million units.[8][9] Along with making an appearance on Austin City Limits, readers of Guitar Player magazine voted "Best New Talent" and "Best Electric Blues Guitar Player", with Texas Flood as "Best Guitar Album".

On May 15, 1984, Couldn't Stand the Weather was released and hit number 31 on the Billboard charts. In October 1984, Stevie Ray and Double Trouble performed at Carnegie Hall. To celebrate his thirtieth birthday, Stevie brought along an all-star supporting band, including Dr. John on keyboards and his brother, Jimmie, on guitar, who wore custom tailored velvet mariachi suits. His wife and parents flew in from Texas to share in his triumph.[10] In November 1984, Stevie won "Entertainer of the Year" and "Instrumentalist of the Year" at the National Blues Awards in Memphis, Tennessee.

Addictions

On September 30, 1985, the band's third album, Soul to Soul, was released, featuring new band member, Reese Wynans, on keyboards. It became their third gold album and went to number 34 on the Billboard charts. In July 1986, the band records shows in Austin and Dallas for their fourth album, Live Alive. On August 27, 1986, Stevie's father, Big Jim Vaughan, died of Parkinson's disease. In late September 1986, Stevie collapsed in Ludwigshafen, Germany from years of substance abuse.

Redemption

Stevie struggled through two more concerts, though the last thirteen dates on the tour were canceled while Stevie was admitted to a hospital in London. He emerged clean and sober in Atlanta, Georgia. Tommy Shannon also came out clean and sober while in Austin. Live Alive was released on November 15, 1986.

In the spring of 1987, MTV broadcasted the band’s show in Daytona Beach, Florida as part of its spring break coverage. Stevie also appeared in the movie Back to the Beach, performing "Pipeline" with Dick Dale. He also appeared on B.B. King’s Cinemax television special with Eric Clapton, Albert King, Phil Collins, Gladys Knight, Paul Butterfield, Chaka Khan and Billy Ocean. Later that year, Stevie filed for divorce from Lenny. Their divorce wasn't finalized until a year later.

In 1988, Stevie appeared with Stevie Wonder on an MTV special called Characters. Double Trouble also headlined a concert at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The show, featuring jams with Katie Webster, Albert Collins, and B.B. King, was filmed for a Showtime special called Coast to Coast. Stevie's divorce from Lenny was finalized toward the end of the year.

On January 23, 1989, the band performed at an inauguration party in Washington, D.C. for George H. W. Bush. The band's fifth album, In Step, was released in June, and went on to win a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording".

In the spring of 1990, Stevie and his brother recorded an album together, one that would feature the music they had grown up with. They recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis and were produced by Nile Rodgers. The brothers agreed to name it Family Style. That summer, Stevie and Double Trouble went on tour with British soul singer Joe Cocker, touring places like Alaska and the Benson & Hedges Blues Festival.

Death

To complete the summer portion of the "In Step" tour, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played two shows on August 25 & 26 at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI, while on tour with Eric Clapton.

For travel to the next venue, the tour manager reserved four helicopters to circumvent congested highway traffic. In very dense fog, the helicopters were clear for lift-off at 12:40 A.M. Just past the lift-off zone was a 300-foot hill. Vaughan's helicopter pilot was unfamiliar with the flight pattern for exiting the area, and did not climb to sufficient altitude immediately after take-off. Vaughan's helicopter veered off to one side and crashed into the hill.

According to the findings as reported by the National Transportation Safety Board, the cause of the accident was determined to be inadequate planning by the pilot, and failure to attain sufficient altitude to clear an obstacle.[11] Fog and haze, as well as the rising terrain were listed as contributing factors. All occupants including Vaughan, the pilot and three members of Eric Clapton's travel group were killed on impact.

On August 31, 1990, funeral services were held for Vaughan in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas. Brother Jimmie, mother Martha, and girlfriend Janna were in attendance. Among the mourners were all three members of ZZ Top, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, and Jackson Browne.[citation needed] Vaughan was interred at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Oak Cliff, a part of Dallas, Texas.

Legacy

File:SRV.jpeg
Vaughan memorial at Lady Bird Lake, in Austin, Texas. (30°15′47.1774″N 97°45′2.4228″W / 30.263104833°N 97.750673000°W / 30.263104833; -97.750673000)

The 1991 album The Sky Is Crying was the first of several posthumous Vaughan releases to achieve chart success. Jimmie Vaughan later co-wrote and recorded a song in tribute to his brother and other deceased blues guitarists, titled "Six Strings Down". Bonnie Raitt's 1991 album Luck of the Draw was dedicated to him. Many other artists recorded songs in remembrance of Vaughan, including Eric Johnson,[12] Tommy Emmanuel (the song Stevie's Blues), Buddy Guy and Steve Vai ("Jibboom" on the album The Ultra Zone, 1999) and guitarist Wayne Perkins ("Big Stratocaster", from the album Rambling Heart). Stevie Wonder included a song on his 1995 live album Natural Wonder titled "Stevie Ray Blues". On the album, Wonder refers to the song as "Stevie Ray Vaughan Blues".

Musicians such as John Mayer, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Colin James, Johnny Lang, Los Lonely Boys, Mike McCready, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, and Doyle Bramhall II have cited Vaughan as an influence.

In 1991, Texas governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3, Vaughan's birthday, to be "Stevie Ray Vaughan Day." An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Central Texas benefits the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.[13]

In 1992, the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation released the Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster, which Vaughan had helped design. As of 2007, the model is still in production. In 2004, Fender also released a limited edition exact replica of "Number One".[14] The last guitar that Vaughan played before his death is on display in the Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. During that same year, Vaughan's name is mentioned in Stephen King's You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, a short story about a town populated by late music legends.

In 1994, the city of Austin erected the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, the site of a number of Vaughan's concerts. It has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

In 2000, Stevie Ray Vaughan was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Stevie Ray Vaughan became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.[15]

In November 2007, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation released a second tribute to Vaughan, an exact replica of his second beloved guitar: Lenny. This guitar was given to him by his wife Lenora ("Lenny") on his 26th birthday and Vaughan was very fond of it. According to Fender, the original Lenny was a 1965 Strat that he saw in the window of a pawn shop that he was unable to afford. The guitar is sold with a strap, a case with Vaughan's name embroidered in the fabric lining, a number of brochures and memorabilia and a leather bound certificate of authenticity.

In 2008, residents voted to rename Dallas' Industrial Boulevard, with Vaughan's name being one of the finalists alongside Stanley Marcus, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Cesar Chavez.[16]

Influences and style

Vaughan's blues style was influenced by many blues guitarists. Foremost among them were Albert King (who dubbed himself Stevie's "godfather"), Otis Rush, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Jimi Hendrix. He was also strongly influenced by early blues-rock guitarist Lonnie Mack, who, according to Vaughan, "really taught me to play guitar from the heart",[17] Vaughan, who had idolized Mack since childhood, produced and played on Mack's 1985 Alligator Records album Strike Like Lightning[18] and covered "Wham!", which was written by Mack, among others. Vaughan's older brother Jimmie Vaughan has stated that Johnny "Guitar" Watson was the guitarist he and Stevie studied the most. Vaughan also cited his brother as an influence.

Vaughan's sound and playing style, which often incorporated simultaneous lead and rhythm parts, drew comparisons to Hendrix. Vaughan covered several Hendrix tunes on his studio albums and in performance, such as "Little Wing," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," and "Third Stone from the Sun." He was also heavily influenced by Freddie King, another Texas bluesman, mainly in the use of tone and attack; King's heavy vibrato can clearly be heard in Vaughan's playing. Another stylistic influence was Albert Collins. By utilizing his index finger as a pick a la Albert Collins, he was able to coax various tonal nuances from his amplifiers. Vaughan also took considerable influence from jazz guitarists such as Kenny Burrell.

Known for his warm blues-rock tone, Vaughan characteristically used very heavy guitar strings, ranging from 13- to 58-gauge sets to give a fuller sound which he tuned down a half-step to the key of E flat.

Guitar legacy

File:StevieRayVaughan2.jpg
Stevie Ray Vaughan playing his customized Stratocaster with his initials emblazoned on the pickguard.
Main articles: List of guitars used by Stevie Ray Vaughan and List of amplifiers used by Stevie Ray Vaughan

Vaughan was closely associated with his use of Fender Stratocasters. His first was a 1963 maple neck black Fender Stratocaster. Although he used this guitar frequently, in 1973 he traded it in at Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music store in Austin, Texas, for another 1963 Stratocaster. According to Ray Hennig, he recalls that Stevie would come in the store and borrow items and bring them back when finished. He never did that with the beat-up Stratocaster.[citation needed] Vaughan then called it his "Number One", or "First Wife", and has been his most recognizable instrument. The guitar had an alder body with a 3-tone sunburst finish and a thick maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. He would put heavy gauge strings on this guitar, using .013-.058s, and would have the vibrato bridge flush the body with stainless steel vibrato arms. "Number One" originally had narrow frets, but Vaughan had the frets replaced with Dunlop 6100 fretwire. He also started tuning his guitars down a half-step from standard pitch, making it easier for him to accompany himself on guitar while singing. From then on, he used Stratocasters for the main part of his tone.

On his 26th birthday in 1980, Vaughan was presented a 1965 Fender Stratocaster by his wife Lenny that he spotted in a pawn shop months beforehand. The guitar featured a mahogany lacquer, covering up a 3-tone sunburst finish; a 1900's mandolin pickguard under the bridge, a thin maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, and microphonic pickups. Not liking the thin neck, Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top gave Vaughan a thicker one-piece maple neck in 1982. He strung "Lenny" with lighter strings and a "floating" bridge.[19]

In early 1984, Vaughan had a custom Stratocaster made at Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas, Texas, one with three lipstick pickups, a "flip-flop" trick automotive paint, a maple neck with a ebony fingerboard, single "Volume" and "Tone" controls, and a hardtail bridge. He added a hula girl decal to the back of the guitar as well.[20]

On April 29, 1984, before playing a show in Buffalo, New York, Stevie Ray was presented a custom Hamiltone Strat-style guitar, featuring his name inlaid with pearl in the ebony fingerboard.[21][22]

Other Stratocasters that Stevie had included a yellow Strat that belonged to Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge and originally had four humbuckers, then rewired with a single neck pickup; a stock 1962 fiesta red Strat acquired in 1983, and a 1961 butter-colored Strat bought by Stevie in 1985 that later sported a black and red tiger-striped pickguard made by guitar tech, Rene Martinez.

Besides Fender Stratocasters, Vaughan owned many other guitars throughout his career, many that were hand-me-downs early on from his brother Jimmie. He started out with a 1963 Gibson Messenger. Also from Jimmie, he got a 1951 Fender Broadcaster that he named "Jimbo", but later sold it.[23] Stevie used many Gibson models, including a 1952 Les Paul Goldtop, 1955 Les Paul TV, Gibson Barney Kessel, 1958 "dot-neck" ES-335, Gibson Johnny Smit, which was used on "Stang's Swang" from Couldn't Stand the Weather; and a Flying V.

In 1981, he acquired a National Steel from Charley's Guitar Shop that was made in 1928, and can be seen on the cover of In Step. He also had a Rickenbacker Stereo Prototype that he gave to blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin in late 1984, which was later stolen from Sumlin.

Timothy Duckworth, Vaughan's personal assistant, owned a Guild JF6512 12-string acoustic guitar, and gave it to him in 1985. Timothy recalls that, sometime after the "MTV Unplugged" performance in 1990, Stevie's hands were so strong that he accidentally cracked the neck on the guitar. It has been on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas since then.[20]

On June 24, 2004, Vaughan's guitar "Lenny" was sold at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Auction, an effort to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The auction was held at Christie's and the guitar's bidding ended at $623,500.[24]

Amplifiers and effects

Stevie Ray Vaughan proved that there was still life in early '60s Stratocaster and old Fender tube amplifiers. The high volume in which he played required lots of wattage and power. In the '70s, he used two Fender Twin Reverbs: one "black face" and the other "silver face". In the early '80s, however, Stevie acquired his two 1963 blackface Fender Vibroverbs, which he got at two different times, two different places. The Vibroverbs were numbers 5 and 6 off the production line. He also used two black face Fender Super Reverbs. With the Fender Stratocaster, the Vibroverbs and the Super Reverbs were an important part in shaping his clean/overdriven sound, making Fender amps more popular in years to come.

Stevie is widely recognized for popularizing the Ibanez Tube Screamer, particularly the TS-9 model. He would also use the Tube Screamer with a Vox Wah-wah pedal, handed down from his brother Jimmie via Jimi Hendrix. A clear example of his use of the wah-wah pedal can be heard on "Say What!" from Soul to Soul. He also exploited use of Hendrix's effects in later years including the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, Octavia, Univox Univibe, and the Leslie speaker, more specifically the Fender Vibratone.

Grammy Awards

  • 1984: Best Traditional Blues Album for Blues Explosion (Various Artists)
  • 1989: Best Contemporary Blues Album for In Step (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
  • 1990: Best Contemporary Blues Album for Family Style (The Vaughan Brothers)
  • 1990: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "D/Fw" (The Vaughan Brothers)
  • 1992: Best Contemporary Blues Album for The Sky Is Crying (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
  • 1992: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Little Wing" (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)[25]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Contributions

See also

References

  1. ^ Bluepower.com, Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  2. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone Issue 931. Rolling Stone.
  3. ^ Hopkins, Craig. "Stevie Ray Vaughan: A Brief Chronology". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Stevie Ray Vaughan - Chronology". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Moser, Margaret, "Paul Ray & the Cobras", Austin Chronicle
  6. ^ Moser, Margaret, "Triple Threat Revue", Austin Chronicle
  7. ^ "Ely Band Gigs From 1977-1982". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ "Stevie Ray Vaughan". VH1. 2007. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan - Rhapsody Music". All Media Guide. 2008. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Holden, Stephen (October 8), "POP: STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN, GUITARIST, AT CARNEGIE HALL", The New York Times {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  11. ^ "NTSB Identification: CHI90MA244". NTSB Aviation Accident Database. National Transportation Safety Board. 9/11/1992. Retrieved 2009-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Entitled "SRV", from the album Venus Isle
  13. ^ Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride & Concert.
  14. ^ StevieRay.com - Fender.
  15. ^ Future Rock Hall entry for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
  16. ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/043008dnmetindustrialnm.339c00c.html
  17. ^ Davis, History of the Blues, DaCapo 2003, p. 246.
  18. ^ "Strike Like Lightning".
  19. ^ The Stevie Ray Vaughan "Lenny" Stratocaster Guitar.
  20. ^ a b Stevie Ray's King Tone.
  21. ^ Hamiltone Custom Guitar Workshop.
  22. ^ The Hamiltone.
  23. ^ Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Jimbo".
  24. ^ Crossroads Guitar Auction.
  25. ^ Awards - Tommy Shannon.
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