danaroo: '76 to '79 for me. I have had occasion to go back frequently in the past few years...definitely not the same place, but then I'm also not in the same headspace.
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So I got the Epic boxed set delivered yesterday along with The Sky is crying. The first one to go on was "Live in the beginning". I was really impressed at how well recorded it was. It sounds fantastic. And he came out swinging from the first track. Looking very forward to hearing the rest of the music. A lot of the CDs i got turned out to be 2-CD sets, so a great value! And I will definitely check out all the other artists mentioned above. Thanks everyone. |
Wow, just getting into Stevie Ray? Well prepare yourself for an excellent experience. As mentioned above his discography is limited due to his untimely death. But, what a discography it is! There is some live video performances out there as well. Spectacular and effortless. And that voice! If CD is your thing you might find this gem interesting. https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/84160/Stevie_Ray_Vaughan-Texas_Hurricane-SACD_Box_Set Happy listening |
I was in the Air Force, stationed in Austin mid-to-late 70's. Regular hangouts were Armadillo World Headquarters, Threadgills and the Back Room. Stevie Ray first came to my attention one night at the Armadillo, opening for The Runaways (which included Joan Jett and Lita Ford). I was getting a drink at the bar when I was taken by this dude playing his tail off. I asked the bartender who they were, and he casually said, "Oh, that's Stevie Ray Vaughan...they play here all the time". After that, I started seeking them out in town. Watching him achieve his fame was really cool...seeing him in larger venues as I moved around Texas and ending up in St Louis, MO. He's still one of my all-time favorites. There are a couple of good YouTube channels with lots of video... SRVMusicVideo and SRV on MV. |
+1 on the DVD Live At El Mocambo
.. his cover of Hendrix's Third stone from the sun is fantastic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYEEovuhsgY |
I am a Blues guy…I was inspired by hearing the 1st Paul Butterfield album at age 15, and ran down to buy my first harp. That album featured the guitar work of Michael Bloomfield and set the bar for my sense of what’s great. There was Danny Kalb in The Blues Project, then Eric Clapton emerged with Mayall, then Peter Green, and of course Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin launched. All added to my sense of what makes for great blues guitar. T-Bone, BB and the other 2 Kings, Buddy Guy, Earl Hooker and Chuck Berry too. I heard Johnny Winter’s 1st appearance in NYC, and Ten Years After. My reaction was like Salieri on Amadeus…”Too many notes!” So when SRV arrived, I had a firmly embedded framework to hear what he was putting down. Not a fan. I prefer his brother Jimmy’s more patient approach. Listen to “Part Time Lover” on the 1st T-Birds album for instance. Listen to “Texas” by Electric Flag. Refer to the above list of names, and above all…enjoy the music. |
And If you ever get to Austin, there is a really cool statue of Stevie Ray down on Town Lake or "Lady Bird Lake" near the 1st street bridge. I was born in Austin and he was an icon back in the 80's. It was a really sad day when he died. I often watch him play on YouTube because I cannot fathom how someone can do what he does to a guitar. |
Blast from the past! He "opened" for the band his older brother Jimmy played lead guitar for, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, at the Midland TX Sheraton. Talk about a small venue! Prob 1984. He was soooo loud. Anyway, he did a very well done album with Jimmy near the end called Family Style. Check it out. |
I lived in Austin, TX in the '70s in a house six blocks south of the Rome Inn, a former Italian restaurant that had been converted into a music club. The name didn't change because it cost too much. The regular Tuesday night band was Paul Ray and the Cobras. Paul Ray was a wonderful blues singer and his lead guitarist was a young Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stevie Ray was usually near the back of the stage with his back to the audience and I never heard him sing, that was Paul Ray's job. The cover charge was $2, a real bargain. |
There's an excellent documentary on Amazon Prime TV https://www.amazon.com/Stevie-Ray-Vaughan-Bluesman-1954-1983/dp/B00RHIF0NA and one I haven't seen that's listed on the IMDb site https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7552842/ |
SRV’s catalog is not deep due to his untimely death. These are must own recordings:
Finally, SRV made appearances on Austin City Limits in 1983 and 1989. They are together on the DVD "Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Live From Austin, Texas". In the 1983 show, Stevie is stage-shy. It’s during his drug years (some say he used to overcome his shyness). He plays phenomenally, nonetheless. By the time he makes his 1989 appearance, he is drug free, with 6 years of touring under his belt. He commands the stage, and is having a terrific time with the audience. The two shows offer fascinating contrast and illustrate how he had progressed as an artist and performer. |
