Stevie Ray Vaughan Buying Guide

By Rev. Keith A. Gordon

The Stevie Ray Vaughan Buying Guide is an illustrated, album by album overview of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist’s too-brief career including a condensed artist biography, a discography with complete song listings, and even a select discography of bootleg albums, all compiled by the Rev. Keith A. Gordon, former About.com Blues Guide. As a bonus, the Reverend also includes his reviews of several of Vaughan's albums, including the seminal Texas Flood and In Session, with blues legend Albert King.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rev. Keith A. Gordon
• Release date: Nov 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311896292

Rev. Keith A. Gordon

The "Reverend of Rock 'n' Roll," Rev. Keith A. Gordon has almost 50 years in the pop culture trenches. Gordon's work has appeared in over 100 publications worldwide, as well as in several All Music Guide books and on the AMG website, as well as Blurt magazine and the Rock and Roll Globe. Rev. Gordon is the author of nearly two-dozen music-related books including The Other Side of Nashville, a history of the city's rock 'n' roll underground; Blues Deluxe: A Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide; and The Rock 'n' Roll Archives series.

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STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN

BUYING GUIDE

An album by album overview of the

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist’s career

By Rev. Keith A. Gordon

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015 • All Rights Reserved

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN BUYING GUIDE

Rev. Keith A. Gordon, former About.com Blues Expert

CONTENTS

An Introduction to SRV

I. Stevie Ray Vaughan – A Brief Biography

II. Album by Album Discography

A. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

B. Album Collaborations

C. Bootleg Albums (Select Discography)

III. Bonus Content: Album Reviews

AN INTRODUCTION TO SRV

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Stevie Ray Vaughan was a one-of-a-kind artist whose influence is still being felt today. Although primarily known for his astounding six-string abilities, Vaughan was an underrated singer and songwriter as well. While it may seem that Vaughan appeared on the scene literally overnight, his is the story of persistence and undeniable talent. The guitarist spent years in the trenches learning his craft and establishing a reputation long before he burst into the spotlight.

I first heard of Stevie Ray from his brother Jimmie. The older Vaughan brother was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds at the time, and I had the opportunity to hang out with the band after an electrifying show in Nashville. Mentioning to Jimmie that he’d played some nice guitar during the show, he proudly stated hell, you think that I’m good, you should see my brother Stevie! We discussed Stevie Ray for a while before moving onto other subjects, but it was obvious that Jimmie was his brother’s number one fan.

I was unfamiliar with Vaughan at the time, but ran out and bought copies of both Texas Flood and Couldn’t Stand The Weather the next day and was duly impressed. These albums struck the worlds of blues and rock music like a lightning bolt, Vaughan fusing the blues-rock styles of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton with the electric blues sound of legends like Albert King, Elmore James, and Muddy Waters – with a few rockabilly and jazz licks thrown in – to create his own unique and easily recognizable style.

Vaughan single-handedly revived a slumbering blues scene with his immense talents, his charisma, and his on-stage showmanship. Blues music in the early 1980s was struggling both commercially and creatively, and Vaughan’s success brought attention to the art form and enlisted a legion of new blues fans to the cause. Although you can’t go wrong buying almost anything with Vaughan’s name on it, we offer this Stevie Ray Vaughan Buying Guide as a map to the artist’s short but influential career and the vital, entertaining music he created.

I. STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN – A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Stevie Ray Vaughan was born on October 3, 1954 in Dallas, Texas. Stevie Ray’s father was an abusive alcoholic, which deeply impacted Vaughan as a child. Three and a half years younger than his brother Jimmie, Vaughan grew up in the working class suburb of Oak Cliff, former home to blues guitarist T-Bone Walker and country-rock singer/songwriters Michael Martin Murphy and Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Influenced by his older brother, Stevie Ray tried his hand at several instruments like drums and saxophone before picking up the guitar. His first instrument was said to be a three-string toy guitar he received for his seventh birthday, and Stevie Ray soon developed an ear for music. Playing along with songs by bluesmen like Albert King and Otis Rush, as well as rockers like Lonnie Mack, Stevie Ray developed his own unparalleled style and tone. Vaughan performed with various bands in the Dallas area as a teen, eventually dropping out of high school in 1971 and moving to the thriving musical hotbed of Austin, Texas a year later.

In the Texas state capital, he played with several bands, including Marc Benno’s Nightcrawlers (which included singer and his brother’s friend Doyle Bramhall). He would later play as a member of the Cobras with guitarist Denny Freeman and sax player Joe Sublett, who would later play on several of Vaughan’s Epic releases. Playing with the Cobras afforded Vaughan the opportunity to perform alongside several of his musical heroes at the legendary Austin nightclub Antone’s, such undeniable influences as Buddy Guy, Albert King, Hubert Sumlin, and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Vaughan formed his own band in 1977; called Triple Threat Revue, it included singer Lou Ann Barton, bass player W.C. Clark, and drummer Fredde Pharaoh. When Clark left Triple Threat to start his own band, Vaughan took over vocals and renamed the band Double Trouble after an Otis Rush song. Pharaoh was subsequently replaced by Chris Layton, who was introduced to Vaughan by his Cobras bandmate Sublett, and Clark was replaced by bassist Jackie Newhouse. Barton would leave the band, followed by Newhouse, and Tommy Shannon eventually came on board, thus forming the