Song:Cold Shot
Album:The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Stevie Ray Vaughan emerged from the Austin music scene to become the guitar god of the 80s. Sadly he died in a 1990 helicopter crash. He was born Oct. 3, 1954 in Dallas. After watching his older brother Jimmie Vaughan play guitar, Stevie Ray became fascinated with the instrument and played along to blues records. He played in various bands while working day jobs and continued to do that when he moved to Austin in 1972. Vaughan's big break should have been when he joined The Nightcrawlers led by former Asylum Choir guitarist Marc Benno. They signed with A & M and recorded an album. But when Benno refused to make changes to the album, it was shelved and Vaughan moved back to Austin. In 1975, he formed The Triple Threat Revue with singer Lou Ann Barton, guitarist WC Clark and drummer Fredde Walden. After Clark left to go solo, Jackie Newhouse joined and the band name was changed to the Otis Rush song Double Trouble. Chris Layton replaced Walden in 1978. Barton left to go solo and then Tommy Shannon replaced Newhouse. Shannon and Vaughan had played together before. So the big break came when they played on David Bowie's 1983 album Let's Dance. Bowie invited them to go on tour with him but instead an appearance at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival got the attention of Columbia Records legendary talent scout John Hammond Sr. Vaughan signed with Epic and his 1983 debut album Texas Flood was certified 2XPlatinum. There were no hit singles but his videos were in heavy rotation on MTV. His second album Couldn't Stand The Weather did even better and was also certified 2XPlatinum. Cold Shot is from that album and that song was helped by a very funny video. The song was helped by Austin bluesmen CW Clark and Michael Kindred and it boosted their careers. Vaughan draws influence from several sources but the most obvious influence is Jimi Hendrix which you can certainly hear in Cold Shot. Vaughan also acknowledged Lonnie Mack as a big influence. While touring to support the 1985 album Soul To Soul, Vaughan became addicted to alcohol and cocaine. He was hospitalized while touring in Germany and then checked into a rehab facility in Atlanta. He emerged from recovery to record the 1989 album In Step and it was also very successful. He then recorded an album with his brother Jimmie Vaughan. On Aug. 26, 1990, the band opened for Eric Clapton in East Troy, WI. The next day they had a show in Chicago. They all boarded helicopters in foggy weather and the helicopter containing Vaughan crashed on takeoff. There were no survivors. Stevie Ray Vaughan was dead at age 35. The album with his brother was released in Sept. 1990. It was his final recording. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. We'll never know what Stevie Ray Vaughan could have done. But I think he would still be recording and touring today. But his music still has the ability to get fans interested in the blues and that's what Vaughan really liked to see. Here's the video for Cold Shot by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.
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