A major contributor to the resurgence of interest in the blues in the 1980s, Stevie Ray Vaughan inspired a new generation of blues and rock guitarists to follow his lead. Drawing on a variety of blues, rock, soul and jazz influences, including Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, and an array of iconic blues guitarists from Chicago and Texas, Vaughan developed an identifiable sound, one that proved commercially viable outside the limits of the blues market — his debut album, Texas Flood (its title track a cover of a 1958 Larry Davis’ blues 45) – was the first of a series to hit the Billboard pop charts. Born in Dallas on Oct. 3, 1954, Vaughan was inspired by his older brother Jimmie, who carved his own niche as a Texas guitar hero. Honing his skills amidst fertile music scene of Austin, where visiting guitarists such as Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Otis Rush provided inspiration on their visits to Antone’s famous nightclub, Vaughan and his band Double Trouble (named after another 1958 blues single, this one by Otis Rush) impressed veteran producer John Hammond enough in 1982 to sign them to a contract with Epic Records. Vaughan’s star rose quickly thereafter, as did his level of substance abuse, but he was going strong again after rehabilitation when he died in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin, following a concert on Aug. 27, 1990. The posthumously issued The Sky is Crying album was his most successful album on the Billboard Hot 200 charts, peaking at No. 10. His signature licks, and even his look, are still copied by a host of aspiring blues-rock guitarists who have come to be known as “Stevie Ray Wanna-Be’s.”
— Jim O’Neal
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