Stevie Ray Vaughan was born on October 3, 1954 in Dallas Texas and is one of the most well known blues guitarist of all time. His inspiration and first major influence as a blues guitarist was his older brother Jimmie Lee Vaughan. As a Christmas present in 1963 Stevie received a toy guitar that was made by Sears and at nine years old he began learning how to play his first songs.
During his high school years Stevie was staying up all night playing blues guitar in clubs. In 1971 Stevie quit school at seventeen years of age and moved to Austin, Texas where he began playing in blues bands full time. In 1982 Stevie managed to catch the attention of David Bowie, who asked him to play on his album “Let’s Dance” as well as his “Serious Moonlight Tour”. Stevie played on the album but he did not do the tour. Stevie chose instead to focus his energies on his band Double Trouble. Sessions that were recorded in Jackson Browne’s studio resulted in the bands debut album “Texas Flood” which was released in 1983. By the end of that year Stevie was voted as Best New Talent and Best Electric Blues Guitar Player. In addition to this Texas Flood was voted as Best Guitar Album. Subsequent albums were “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” in 1984, “Soul to Soul” in 1985, and “Live Alive” in 1986.
Vaughan had a problem of cocaine and alcohol abuse and while on tour in Europe in 1986 it finally caught up with him. Vaughan entered a clinic in London and was advised to go into rehab in Atlanta, Georgia. The final thirteen shows of the tour were canceled and Stevie became clean and sober in October of 1986. In 1989 Stevie’s fourth studio album was released. This album was titled “In Step” and was mostly about his focus on his new life without drugs and alcohol.
On August 26, 1990, blues guitarist Vaughan performed for a sold out concert in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin which featured an encore jam with him, his brother Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray. On August 27 shortly before 1:00am and just after takeoff Stevie died in a helicopter crash while en route to Chicago.
Top five Stevie Ray Vaughan songs:
1) Pride and Joy
2) Texas Flood
3) Couldn’t Stand The Weather
4) Life Without You
5) Tightrope
Top three Stevie Ray Vaughan albums:
1) Texas Flood
2) Couldn’t Stand The Weather
3) In Step
Studio albums
Album Year Chart positions[1] Certifications
US 200 U.S.[2] CAN[3]
Texas Flood 1983 64 2× Platinum Platinum
Couldn’t Stand the Weather 1984 31 2× Platinum Platinum
Soul to Soul 1985 34 Platinum Gold
In Step 1989 33 2× Platinum Gold
Family Style (w/ Jimmie Vaughan as the Vaughan Brothers) 1990 7 Platinum Platinum
In Session (w/ Albert King) 1999 – – –
[edit] Live albums
Album Year Chart positions Certifications
US 200 U.S. CAN
Live Alive 1986 52 Platinum Platinum
In the Beginning 1992 58 Gold –
Live at Carnegie Hall 1997 40 Gold –
Live at Montreux 1982 and 1985 2001 178 – –
Live In Tokyo 2006 – – –
[edit] Compilation albums
Album Year Chart positions Certifications
US 200 U.S. CAN
October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990 1990 – – –
The Sky Is Crying 1991 10 2× Platinum Platinum
Greatest Hits 1995 39 2× Platinum Gold
The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 2 1999 53 Gold –
Blues at Sunrise 2000 – – –
SRV 2000 148 Gold –
The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 2002 165 Gold –
Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues – Stevie Ray Vaughan 2003 – – –
The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 1 2006 – – –
Solos, Sessions and Encores 2007 – – –
Couldn’t Stand the Weather – Legacy Edition 2010 – – –
[edit] Singles
Year Single Chart positions
[4] Album
US Rock UK
1975 “Other Days”/”Texas Clover” (w/ Paul Ray & the Cobras) – – Unknown
1979 “My Song”/”Rough Edges” (w/ W. C. Clark and Paul Ray & the Cobras) – – Unknown
1980 “Blow Joe Blow (crazy ’bout a saxophone)”/”Sugaree” (w/ Paul Ray & the Cobras) – – Unknown
1983 “Without You”/”Criminal World” (w/ David Bowie) – – Let’s Dance
1983 “Modern Love” (w/ David Bowie) – – Let’s Dance
1983 “Let’s Dance”/”Cat People” (w/ David Bowie) – – Let’s Dance
1983 “China Girl”/”Shake It” (w/ David Bowie and Iggy Pop) – – Let’s Dance
1983 “Lovestruck Baby”/”Rude Mood” – – Texas Flood
1983 “Pride and Joy” 20 – Texas Flood
1984 “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” – – Couldn’t Stand the Weather
1985 “Look At Little Sister”/”Change It” – – Soul to Soul
1985 “Lookin’ Out The Window” – – Soul to Soul
1985 “Living In America” (w/ James Brown) 4 5 Gravity
1985 “How Do You Stop” (w/ James Brown) – 90 Gravity
1985 “Lookin’ Out The Window” – – Soul to Soul
1985 “Change It” 17 – Soul to Soul
1985 “Look at Little Sister” 17 – Soul to Soul
1986 “Willie the Wimp” 19 – Live Alive
1986 “Superstition” 11 – Live Alive
1986 “Heartache Away”/”Love Roulette” (w/ Don Johnson) 56 – Heartbeat
1986 “First We Take Manhattan”/”Famous Blue Raincoat” (w/ Jennifer Warnes) 72 – Famous Blue Raincoat
1987 “Pipeline” (w/ Dick Dale) – – Back to the Beach soundtrack
1989 “The House Is Rockin'” 18 – In Step
1989 “Crossfire” 1 – In Step
1989 “Wall of Denial” – – In Step
1989 “Tightrope” 14 – In Step
1990 “Tick Tock/Brothers” (w/ Jimmie Vaughan as the Vaughan Brothers) – – Family Style
1990 “Telephone Song” (w/ Jimmie Vaughan as the Vaughan Brothers) – – Family Style
1990 “Good Texan” (w/ Jimmie Vaughan as the Vaughan Brothers) – – Family Style
1991 “Wham!” – – The Sky Is Crying
1991 “Empty Arms” 3 – The Sky Is Crying
1991 “The Sky Is Crying” 2 – The Sky Is Crying
1991 “Chitlins con Carne” – – The Sky Is Crying
1992 “Little Wing” 26 – The Sky Is Crying
1992 “Shake For Me” 19 – In the Beginning
1995 “Taxman” 32 – Greatest Hits
[edit] Video Albums
Album Year Chart positions Certifications
US 200 U.S. CAN
Pride And Joy 1991 – Platinum –
Live From Austin, Texas 1997 – 2× Platinum –
Live at the El Mocambo 1983 1999 – 2× Platinum –
Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985 2004 – Platinum –
Live In Tokyo 2006 – – –
[edit] Contributions
* (1983) David Bowie, Let’s Dance
* (1983) Johnny Copeland, Texas Twister
* (1984) Soulful Dress (Marcia Ball)
* (1985) Strike Like Lightning (Lonnie Mack)
* (1985) Roy Head, Living For A Song
* (1985) Bennie Wallace, Twilight Time
* (1986) Teena Marie, Emerald City
* (1987) “Come Let Me Make Your Love Come Down” from Characters (Stevie Wonder)
* (1987) A.C. Reed, I’m In The Wrong Business
* (1988) Brian Slawson, Distant Drums
* (1988) Bill Carter, Loaded Dice
* (1989) Zucchero, Mama (Madre Dolcissima)
* (1990) Strike Like Lightning (Lonnie Mack)
* (1990) Bob Dylan, Under the Red Sky
* (1994) Bird Nest On The Ground, Doyle Bramhall
