Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Often referred to by his initials SRV, Vaughan is best known as a founding member and leader of Double Trouble. Together with drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, they ignited the blues revival of the 1980s. With a career spanning seven years, Vaughan and Double Trouble consistently sold out concerts while their albums frequently went gold.
He was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and for a short period of time lived in Graham, Texas. [1] As the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan, Vaughan started playing the guitar at age seven and formed several bands that occasionally performed in local nightclubs. At age 17, he dropped out of high school and moved to Austin to further pursue his musical career, joining groups such as Krackerjack, the Nightcrawlers, and the Cobras. In 1977, he formed Triple Threat Revue, a band that eventually evolved into Double Trouble and regularly performed around Austin. In 1982, Vaughan and Double Trouble performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, catching the attention of musicians David Bowie and Jackson Browne. Bowie asked Vaughan to play on his upcoming studio album Let's Dance, while Browne offered the band free use of his personal studio in Los Angeles to record an album.
In March 1983, Vaughan and Double Trouble were signed to Epic Records by veteran record producer John Hammond Sr. and released their debut album, Texas Flood in June of that year. After successful touring, the group released the albums, Couldn't Stand the Weather (1984) and Soul to Soul (1985), the latter of which featured new keyboardist Reese Wynans. Although his career had progressed successfully, Vaughan checked into a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, Georgia to give up a cocaine and alcohol habit and returned to touring with the band. In June 1989, In Step was released and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Performance. On August 27, 1990, Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash following a performance in East Troy, Wisconsin.
Vaughan's uniquely eclectic yet intense style was derived from a variety of musical genres. He was influenced by blues musicians including Albert King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, and Muddy Waters, and rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack. His guitar playing reflected the classic blues and pentatonic scales. He has received wide critical recognition for his guitar playing, ranking at #7 on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists" in 2001. He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 and a memorial statue was erected in Austin's Auditorium Shores park. Stevie Ray Vaughan is widely considered to be one of the greatest musicians to come from the state of Texas.
On August 27, 1990, Vaughan had just performed with Double Trouble at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. All of the musicians boarded four helicopters bound for Chicago, which were waiting on a nearby golf course. According to a witness, there was haze and fog with patches of low clouds. Despite the conditions, the pilots were instructed to fly over a 1000-foot ski hill. Vaughan, along with three members of Clapton's entourage (agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe), boarded the third of the four helicopters — a Bell 206B Jet Ranger — flying to Meigs Field. At about 12:50 am (CDT),[106] the helicopter departed from an elevation of about 850 feet, veered to the left and crashed into the hill. All of the passengers, including the pilot, Jeff Brown, were killed instantly.[107] In Clapton: The Autobiography, Eric Clapton explains that, contrary to rumors, his seat was not given to Vaughan, but as indicated above three members of Clapton's entourage were on board with Vaughan at the time of the crash.[108]
At 4:30 am, Civil Air Patrol was notified of the accident, ultimately locating the crash site almost three hours later.[106] Both Clapton and Jimmie were asked to identify the bodies; a Coptic cross necklace, worn by Vaughan, was given to Jimmie. The Walworth County coroner conducted an autopsy and found that Vaughan suffered from multiple internal and skull injuries.[109] The cause of death was officially stated as "exsanguination due to transverse laceration of the aorta".[107] According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a veteran pilot for Alpine Valley suspected that Brown attempted to fly around the ski hill, but misjudged the location.[110] Clapton issued a statement the next day, saying that the victims "were my companions, my associates and my friends. This is a tragic loss of some very special people. I will miss all of them very much."[111]
Vaughan's memorial was held on August 30, 1990, at Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas, where he was buried next to his father,[112] and was preceded by a private chapel service for close friends and family. Reverend Barry Bailey of the United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, who was Vaughan's AA sponsor, opened the service with personal thoughts: "We're here to thank God for this man's life. He was a genius, a superstar, a musician's musician. He captured the hearts of thousands and thousands of people. I am thankful for the impact of this man's influence on thousands of people in getting his own life together in the name of God." Kim Wilson, Jeff Healey, Charlie Sexton, ZZ Top, Colin James, and Buddy Guy attended the event. Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt sang "Amazing Grace" at the event.[113] Nile Rodgers gave a eulogy,[114] while a member of the Nightcrawlers read chapters five and eleven from The Big Book, the 'bible' of Alcoholics Anonymous.[115] In 1995, the Vaughan family received an undisclosed settlement for wrongful death.[116]
Birth name Stephen Ray Vaughan
Also known as SRV
Born October 3, 1954
Dallas, Texas, United States
Died August 27, 1990 (aged 35)
East Troy, Wisconsin, United States
Genres Blues, rock, blues rock, electric blues, Texas blues, jazz blues
Occupations Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments Guitar, vocals, bass, drums
Years active 1965–1990
Labels Epic, Legacy, Sony
Associated acts Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, David Bowie, Lonnie Mack, Albert King, Jeff Beck
Website srvofficial.com