JIMMIE VAUGHAN IS the sound of Texas blues guitar. Long before he burst onto the national and international scene with the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the early Eighties, Jimmie was playing juke joints, bars and clubs all over Texas from the age of 15, sharing stages and playing with Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix and many others. No guitarist is better equipped to lay down the law on the most essential Texas blues guitarists in history, and below, he picks out 12 of the greatest, most legendary players that originate from the Lone Star State. In Jimmie’s words, “This is a serious list.”
OSCAR MOORE
Oscar Moore (1915-1981) is well known as the effortlessly swinging guitarist in the Nat King Cole Trio, with whom he recorded for a decade, from 1937 to 1947, cutting classic solos for the essential Cole tracks “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” “Sweet Lorraine” and many others.
“Oscar was originally from Austin,” Jimmie says. “He moved to L.A. to find his fame, as did many other guitarists, like T-Bone Walker. To me, the quintessential Oscar Moore track is, ‘Nature Boy,’ live with Nat King Cole. Top that! He’s incredible. He was a great jazz guitar
