Day 341 of 365 day music challenge. “In spite of a short-lived ‘mainstream’ career spanning seven years, Stevie Ray Vaughn is widely considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of blues music, and one of the most important figures in the revival of blues in the 1980s.” In the early 80’s Vaughn & his band Double Trouble were popular in Texas, but they failed to gain national attention until their performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982. After the festival, Jackson Browne offered them free use of his personal recording studio. They took advantage of this offer & recorded ten songs in two days. While they were in the studio, Vaughn received a call from David Bowie, whom he met after the Montreaux perfomance, who invited him to participate in recording session for his next studio album, “Let’s Dance”. “In January 1983, Vaughan recorded guitar on six of the albums eight songs, including the title track and China Girl”. The album was released on April 14, 1983 and sold over three times as many copies as Bowies previous album.” From there Vaughn & his band were signed by Epic Records & went on to record several albums and earn several awards. On August 27, 1990, Vaughan & his band had just performed as the opening act for Eric Clapton, at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. They were headed to Chicago for their next performance and Vaughn boarded a helicopter with three members of Eric Clapton’s entourage. 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. The pilot, Vaughan, & the three members of Eric Claptons entourage (agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe) were all killed instantly when the helicopter crashed into the hill. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s legacy lives on & he has influenced numerous blues, rock, & alternative artists. Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:06:51 +0000
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