Stephen ("Stevie") Ray Vaughan born in Dallas, Texas ( October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American blues guitar legend, known as one of the most influential electric blues musicians in history.
After playing in a series of bands, Dallas-native Vaughan formed the blues rock combo Double Trouble with drummer Chris Layton and bassist Jackie Newhouse in the late 1970s. Tommy Shannon replaced Newhouse in 1981. A popular local draw, Vaughan soon attracted attention from David Bowie and Jackson Browne, and he played on albums with both. Bowie first caught Vaughan at the Montreux Jazz Festival where initially a few members of the audience, who disliked his hard blues sound, booed Vaughan, though most of the crowd cheered him, as can be witnessed in the "Live at Montreux" DVD. Bowie featured Vaughan on his Let's Dance album in the songs "Let's Dance" and "China Girl". Stevie Ray Vaughan's blues playing style was strongly influenced by Albert King who dubbed himself Stevie's "Godfather". Stevie had a distinct sound of his own which was partly based on using heavy thirteen-gauge strings. Vaughan's sound and playing style, which often features simultaneous lead and rhythm parts, also draws frequent comparisons to that of Jimi Hendrix; Vaughan covered several Hendrix tunes on his studio albums and in performance.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's debut album released in 1983. The critically acclaimed Texas Flood (produced by John Hammond) featured the top-20 hit " Pride and Joy" and sold well in both blues and rock circles. Follow up albums, Couldn't Stand the Weather ( 1984) and Soul to Soul ( 1985), saw almost equal success as the debut album. Drug addiction and alcoholism took a toll on Vaughan in the mid- 1980s, and he collapsed while on tour in 1986. He checked into rehab in Georgia later that year. He managed to recover from his addictions and became a teetotaler. Following his return, Vaughan recorded In Step ( 1989), another critically acclaimed album that won a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Blues Record.