Steve Ray Vaughan

WHAT IS your definition of a musical legend? Is it someone who has peer respect? Someone who has the virtuosity-like command of his instrument? Someone who has the ability to mesmerize the crowd? Someone who inspire others? Someone who makes a comeback after succumbing to substance abuse? Or is it someone dies in his peak leaving a strong legacy?
By any of these benchmarks, Steve Ray Vaughan (SRV) is a guitar legend. Born in 1954, SRV formed his blues-rock band Double Trouble in late 1970s. His distinctive sound, partly due to his use of heavy 13 gauge strings, his battered Fender (which he affectionately referred to as his No. 1), his fiery live performances and of course, his trademark cowboy hat had made him a strong local draw by the early 80s. However, he was still an underground wonder desperately trying to make it big time.
In the summer of 1982, SRV got his break at the Monteux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Although he played songs like “Pride And Joy”, “Texas Flood”, “Collins Shuffle” (all future hits) as if there was no tomorrow, the audience was indifferent and couldn’t care less. With each passing song, the crowd grew restless and began booing and hissing; they just could not bear the fact that there was a white man on the stage playing electric blues. By the time his set over, SRV was heartbroken and bewildered.
Fortunately, also in the audience were David Bowie and Jackson Browne. They were so enthralled by his raw talent and his unbounded passion that Bowie asked him to guest on his Lets Dance album and tour, while Brown asked Stevie to record in his studio (free of charge). It was in Brown’s studio that Stevie recorded his debut album Texas Flood.
Released in 1983, Texas Flood won both critical acclaim and commercial success, with the song Pride and Joy reaching the top 20-s. The follow-up albums couldn’t stand the Weather (1985) and Soul to Soul (1985) met equal success. In 1985, he returned to Monteux not as the up-and-coming player he had been 3 years back, but as a headliner of the Blues Night at the Festival. The crowd, now familiar with Stevie’s songs treated him as a guitar god and gave him a hero’s welcome. With every passing day, SRV’s popularity was increasing and it seemed as if nothing could stem the tide of his growth.
However, the fast life that came along with the stardom took its toll on SRV and he started turning to drugs and alcohol for solace. By 1986, he had become so mired in substance abuse that he collapsed on stage. Later the year he checked into rehab and successfully recovered from his addictions. Upon returning, he recorded In Step (1989) which won him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Record.
On August 26, 1990, he played what would become his last concert. At Alpine Valley Music Center, Stevie Ray Vaughan captivated the audience with his repertoire of songs like “Couldn’t Stand the Weather”, “Pride and Joy”, “The Things I used to do”, “Cross Fire” and concluded with a thrilling version of “Sweet Home Chicago” with other Blues legends like Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and his Brother Jimmie Vaughan. The very next day, the helicopter carrying him out of the event crashed and led to an untimely death. His death was likened by one critic to that of “a soldier who makes it through a war without a scratch, and then is killed on his way back home”.
Robert Cray famously said, “There will be a thousand guitarists who can play the same songs as Stevie, but there will never be anyone who can play them with the same fire”. While his potential got snuffed in its prime, SRV’s legacy still lives on. A string of posthumous releases following his death, including a duet album Family Style with Jimmy Vaughan on 1990, met with strong commercial success. Jimmy Vaughan later recorded Six Strings Down, a tribute to SRV, which featured song by his influences (Albert King, BB King) and his peers (Robert Cray). Since 1991, the state of Texas has been celebrating October 3 as Stevie Ray Vaughan Day. In 1992, Fender released SRV signature Stratocaster and in 1994, his statue was placed at Auditorium Shores in Austin Texas. His influence on up and coming guitarist cannot be underestimated; he is credited by artists ranging from as diverse backgrounds as Mark Cole of Charge and Kenny Wayne Shepherd as being their prime influence.