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Hey group,
In the early 80's where MTV was IT, "Flash Dance" and "Footloose" ruled at the box office, and Phil Collins literally saturated the radio, and Hair-bands were on the rise, Stevie Ray Vaughan was a gift from God to a budding Blues lover like me in the 1980's. He was like fresh air on the radio in those days.
My uncle saw me getting into the blues, and one day he came to me and said "you've gotta hear this guitar player, amazing!" "Texas Flood" had just come out, it was 1983, and I was a confirmed fan within seconds of hearing "Love Struck Baby" coming like flames out of my stereo.
A month later I saw SRV live for the 1st time, I was shattered by the experience. He was brilliant!
I was proud to be wearing a "Texas Flood" tour t-shirt in Art-school back in '83, having people say to me "Who's that?"
I saw SRV perform everytime but once, from '83 until he passed, when he'd come to the Boston area.
I bought every magazine that featured him, looked forward to every record he had coming out.
The last time I saw him was with Jef Beck at the Worchester Centrum, Massachussetts. What a show, I never heard him play like that! Soon after, he was gone.
For guitarists, and Blues fans, it's either love him or hate him, I've gotten into many disagrrements with music fans. I'm a huge fan, I lstill love Stevie Ray Vaughan's music and I miss the person.
I'm remembering him today.....
-Eric
In the early 80's where MTV was IT, "Flash Dance" and "Footloose" ruled at the box office, and Phil Collins literally saturated the radio, and Hair-bands were on the rise, Stevie Ray Vaughan was a gift from God to a budding Blues lover like me in the 1980's. He was like fresh air on the radio in those days.
My uncle saw me getting into the blues, and one day he came to me and said "you've gotta hear this guitar player, amazing!" "Texas Flood" had just come out, it was 1983, and I was a confirmed fan within seconds of hearing "Love Struck Baby" coming like flames out of my stereo.
A month later I saw SRV live for the 1st time, I was shattered by the experience. He was brilliant!
I was proud to be wearing a "Texas Flood" tour t-shirt in Art-school back in '83, having people say to me "Who's that?"
I saw SRV perform everytime but once, from '83 until he passed, when he'd come to the Boston area.
I bought every magazine that featured him, looked forward to every record he had coming out.
The last time I saw him was with Jef Beck at the Worchester Centrum, Massachussetts. What a show, I never heard him play like that! Soon after, he was gone.
For guitarists, and Blues fans, it's either love him or hate him, I've gotten into many disagrrements with music fans. I'm a huge fan, I lstill love Stevie Ray Vaughan's music and I miss the person.
I'm remembering him today.....
-Eric
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Atlanta
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Re: Remembering SRV
Thu, March 2, 2006 - 8:08 AMI saw SRV (4) times.
My friend encouraged me to go see him. I only knew at the time he did that awesome riff on David Bowie's "Let's Dance".
He "opened" for Huey Lewis and the News. I left shocked. I had never seen or heard anything like that before. I was an instant fan.
I saw him later at a Blues Festival and twice with BB King.
He had a serious drug and alcohol problem and was able to overcome. From what I heard his playing was better than ever after rehab....and then the unthinkable happened. What a twist of fate. -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Fri, March 3, 2006 - 6:04 AMHis playing was even more incredible after he cleaned up.
The show I mentioned at the Worchester Centrum, was the first show I saw him clean.
I remember feeling that I'd never heard him sound anything like he did that night.
-Eric -
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Unsu...
Re: Remembering SRV
Sun, March 5, 2006 - 10:54 AMWhen I was in high school in Wyoming I was in Laramie where he was performing but none of my friends knew who he was and didn't want to go see him. I was too chicken to go by myself...one of the great regrets of my life.
I heard about the helicopter crash but mistakenly thought they were talking about Clapton. It bummed me out until I heard it was SRV and then I was just punched in the stomach. Even though he was quick to point out his influences, which were obvious from his playing, he is the one white guy who has really mattered in the blues genre. He wasn't recycling or "playing" the blues he was the blues. He is one of those musicians you can't help but wonder what he would be like now or even 10, 20 years into the future. His playing was at the virtuoso level (how many dudes can play lead and rhythm at the same time for God's sake?) but I think he was just starting to come into his own as a singer.
His song he did with his brother, "Tick Tock," makes me cry every time I hear it. The term tragedy gets abused but in his case it is appropriate. -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Sun, March 5, 2006 - 2:59 PMYou hit the nail on the head.
-Eric -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Sun, March 5, 2006 - 3:52 PMI listen to his music often and wonder what he would be playing like if he was still around today. Where would he have taken his music? Fortunately he did leave a wealth of recordings............... He was so distinctive that you can always recognise his style. I remember Clapton saying that he was the only guitarist he had ever met that could solo for hours without repeating himself.
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Unsu...
Re: Remembering SRV
Sun, March 5, 2006 - 5:31 PMSome random thoughts...
I have always been a huge fan of Stevie. I guess being a Blues fan who lived in Texas (and was in Austin for many of his "local" shows) I was lucky to catch him live many, many times - even in Kalamzoo Michigan....
I've toyed many years with the idea that you have to live (or have lived) the Blues to play em'. I may have wiggled a little through the years on this but for the most part, I think it to be fact. No Doubt Stevie went many years living the Blues. Though one could easily argue his best work was his last and sober In Step (which I would not argue). I always hate any 'white guy Blues stuff', but to my ears Stevie and (pre 71) Peter Green are the only guys that ever got it.
With Stevie it was always his tone that amazed me. First time I heard him I wondered how he was getting that tone out of the tele. His ability to bend those fat strings on those notes are hard to duplicate (I always get a gring when some young guy who thinks he is a whiz becuase he can rip some SRV run - try doing if with the GHS 13-60's and High Action. I mean (nothing against of course) these fret flying guys, but come' on its about tone. If Stevie played Via or Satriani's setup he could do that too (yes these guys have some excellent work - I'm just a tone guy).
Most people are fans of the up tempo stuff, but I think it's in the subtle work that his geniua shines. A coupleof quick examples for me are 'Riviera Paradise' and 'Tin Pan Alley (with Johnny Copeland). Have you heard Tin Pan Alley on SACD on Class A equipment with the volume that only happens when the wife is out of the house? Flat amazing and memorizing like few other musical experiences.
I thought Stevie and Robert Cray really had a huge influence on people who were not previously exposed to the Blues. Sadly SRV passed and people didn;t buy Cray. Both frankly are tragedys. I would love to hear what he would do now if he was alive. And Robert Cray went on to put out some of the best (in my humble opinion) Blues/Soul music ever recorded (AFTER STRONG PERSUADER).
For those of you who love SRV and are not real familiar with Cray..... I envy you. Go out and buy: Shame + a Sin, I Was Warned, Some Rainy Mornin', Sweet Potato Pie, Midnioght Stroll... etc
Shoot, dinner time - I'll come back more later, could talk SRV anytime -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Tue, April 4, 2006 - 2:37 PMI still have my "albums" Texas Flood & Couldn't Stand the Weather are displayed on my walls... SRV's playing always struck me as so authentic that it just touched me no matter what... Living Life by the Drop - Pride & Joy... incredible. For the holiday I received the new box set - SR Vaughn - get it... it includes lots of new cuts - 3 music cds and one video DVD... just the best!
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Re: Remembering SRV
Tue, April 4, 2006 - 5:28 PMImho I think Cray is more of a crooner than a bluesman, although he has obviously been well accepted considering the number of blues gigs he has played. I have a number of DVD's and video's of gigs that he performed on. I felt that SRV was baring his soul where Cray was performing what he thought people wanted to hear, if that makes sense. I think Cray would have more appeal to women. Someone's probably gonna kill me for th4ese generalisations, but that's why its my opinion:-) -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 8:12 AMI have seen Robert Cray many times. I like him but at times it does seem like he is pretty much going thru the motions. He is always good for two or three broken strings. -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 11:00 AMRobert Cray never did it for me either.
I think he's got a nice voice, plays some nice, clean guitar, but put it all together and he loses me.
I certainly don't have any set ideas of what a Bluesman is "supposed" to sound like, Cray just doesn't do it for me.
He's an interesting subject, anytime you mention to a Cray fan that you don't care for him, the "you just have set-ideas" card is usually drawn by his fans.
I think he'd be great doing smooth Soul like Al Green, but not Blues.
-Eric -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 1:53 PMEric,
I do highly recommend a CD called "Showdown" with Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland and Cray. Solid CD with a kick ass T-Bone Shuffle. -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 7:51 PMSaguaro,
I've had that record since it came out, it's great, most of what I love about it is Albert Collins.
In fact, I've got it on vinyl.
-Eric
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Unsu...
Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 5:51 PMEric
Well... I wouldn't bring out the "set ideas", I would however perhaps assume it could be like most folks, it could be lack of exposure. Like I mentioned for most folks the exposure is almost exclusively the Strong Pursuader album, and maybe Showdown (becuase of the Collins/Copeland and Grammy) becuase that's about all any Blues station would play even XM/Sirrus.
Maybe you do have some of his disks, but if not, please do check out "Shame + A Sin" or for the guitar w/o the Mephis Horn charts try 'Some Rainy Morning". If you can hear, say, "Never Mattered Much" off SRM or "Passing By" of S+AS, and not think that is about as good as it get for a Soul Blues vibe...well then I would go with the "set-ideas" :-).
BTW, checked out your profile, thought you would be interested, I just picked up a Dumbek and a couple DVD's in hopes of learning. The wife has been belly dancing for a few years and I wanted to be able to drum for her on occasion.
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Re: Remembering SRV
Wed, April 5, 2006 - 7:54 PMHey Michael,
I'll try to check out the music you recommended.
Awesome that you're playing doumbek and drumming for your wife!!!
-Eric -
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Re: Remembering SRV
Thu, April 6, 2006 - 6:07 AMI bought the Showdown album because of Albert Collins and I wore it out. My favorite song turned out to be “The Dream” by Cray. That album more than anything else made me a Cray fan.
The title song form Cray's “I was Warned” is one of my all time favorites. The guitar solo in that song sends chills up my spine.
But overall, I have to agree with the general flow of this thread, he’s a crooner, a soul artist and a damn good blues guitarist but he’s not a pure blues artist. Sometimes I get the feeling that he would rather just be a soul singer, much like Green, than a “Bluesman”.
Whatever musical category you want to throw him in, he still manages to put one or two kick ass songs on every album.
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