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Stevie Ray Vaughan's Birth
Stephen Ray Vaughan was born on October 3, 1954, at Methodist Hospital in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Texas, as the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan. His father, Jimmie Lee "Big Jim" Vaughan, was an asbestos worker whose job often forced the family to move to different cities, while his mother, Martha Jean (Cook) Vaughan, worked as a secretary. In 1961, they finally moved out of the Cockrell Hill area of Dallas and settled into a small house in Oak Cliff, and a legend was born. -
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Stevie Ray Vaughans Life
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First Time picking up the Guitar
Inspired by his older brother Jimmie's guitar playing, Stevie picked up his first guitar at the age of 10, a plastic Sears toy that he loved to strum. With an exceptional ear, Stevie never learned to read sheet music. Stevie taught himself to play the blues by the time he'd reached high school, testing his stage skills at a Dallas club any chance he could. -
First Live Performance
In 1965, Vaughan formed his first band, The Chantones, and performed at a local talent contest held at the Hill Theatre in Dallas on June 26, 1965, which was his first public performance. With only a drummer and vocalist, the ten-year-old Vaughan performed Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do", realizing midway that they were not familiar with the entire song. -
SRV and Double Trouble Getting Well-Known
Stevie Ray Vaughan LiveIn 1975, Vaughan and a few others formed Triple Threat. After some reshuffling, the group was renamed Double Trouble, inspired by an Otis Rush song. With Vaughan on lead vocals, the group developed a strong fan base throughout Texas. Eventually their popularity spread outside the Lone Star State. In 1982, the group caught the attention of Mick Jagger, who invited them to play at a private party in New York City. That same year, Double Trouble performed at the Montreux Blues & Jazz Festival -
One of The Best Performances of his short Career
On October 4, 1984, Double Trouble performed a sold-out benefit concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall, a recording of which was released after his death, as Live at Carnegie Hall. In celebration of Vaughan's thirtieth birthday, the show featured many special guests including the Roomful of Blues horn section, keyboardist Dr. John, Jimmie Vaughan, vocalist Angela Strehli, and drummer George Rains. The band wore custom velvet "mariachi" suits and designed a stage set of blue and gold. -
Struggling with Alcoholism
Stevie Ray Vaughans AA SpeechIn January 1990, Vaughan gave a speech at an AA meeting; a recording and transcript of the speech have been widely circulated on the internet. On January 30, Vaughan made a guest appearance on MTV Unplugged in New York City, performing "Rude Mood", "Pride and Joy", and "Testify". In March, Vaughan collaborated with his brother, Jimmie, to record Family Style, produced by Nile Rodgers which was released on September 25, 1990. -
The Death of A Legend
On August 27, 1990, Vaughan had just performed with Double Trouble at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. There was haze and fog with patches of low clouds. Vaughan, boarded the third of the four helicopters flying to Meigs Field. At about 12:50 am, the helicopter departed from an elevation of about 850 feet, veered to the left and crashed into the hill. All onboard, including the pilot, Jeff Brown, were killed instantly.
