Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood
Listen to full episode:
On this episode, we look at the 1983 debut of legendary Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood. While Stevie Ray Vaughan seemed to come out of nowhere when he walked on stage with his band, Double Trouble, at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and, indeed, he was the first to perform without a record label backing him.
While the performance was met with boos from the audience, it did catch the attention of two figures in the audience: Jackson Browne and David Bowie. Bowie was so impressed he asked Vaughan to lay down tracks on his upcoming album, Let's Dance. Jackson Browne was so impressed that he lent them his private studio to record some tracks. The recordings at Browne's studio caught the attention of legendary Columbia record executive John Hammond, who liked what he heard enough to release it as an album. That album, Texas Flood, launched Vaughan's solo career.
Vaughan’s blend of traditional blues and rock and roll s swagger was already known around his home state of Texas, particularly in Austin, where he had been a staple of the club scene for nearly a decade. However, his work on Let’s Dance, as well as his videos being in constant rotation on a fledgling MTV, catapulted him to international stardom. Texas blues would never be the same again.
No recommendation on this Episode
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Brooklyn Underground, one of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s high school bands.
Front Row: Randy Martin, Steve Vaughan (glasses) and Paul Kessler / Back Row: Bobby Ragan and Oscar Head
Listen to an early demo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan/ Doyle Bramhall penned tune “Dirty Pool” performed by Marc Benno and the Nightcrawlers. These sessions are some of the earliest studio recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The song would surface years later on Texas Flood.
The Cobras were an Austin, Texas blues band formed in 1970s by Paul Ray. The band’s original lineup featured guitarist Denny Freeman, bassist Alex Napier, drummer John Henry Alexander, and Oscar "Bubu" Watson on percussion. Stevie Ray Vaughan joined the Cobras in 1975.
Here’s a picture of Vaughan sporting the band’s famous (infamous?) logo.
Stevie Ray Vaughn playing the legendary Rome Inn in Austin, TX (circa1979).
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1982 (you can watch part of the performance below). The performance was witnessed by David Bowie and Jackson Browne, both of whom would take an interest in him and help him take his career into new heights.
David Bowie asked Vaughan to fly to New York and lay down guitar for Bowie’s upcoming album Let’s Dance. The solo on the tile track caught the attention of several guitarist, including Eric Calpton and Steve Miller. You can listen to the the isolated solo from “Let’s Dance” below.
Here’s a great interview where Vaughan explains why he’s not a blues purest and discusses his Grammy nominated instrumentalist “Rude Mood.”
Watch Stevie Ray Vaughan performing “ Mary Had a Little Lamb” live at the El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario.
In the mid 1980’s the Texas Department of Transportation ran a series of “Dont Mess with Texas” ant-litter ads with famous Texas celebrities. Here is one form 1986 featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Watch Stevie Ray Vaughan perform “Pride and Joy” on a 12-string acoustic guitar for MTV Uplugged in 1990.
