Stevie Ray Vaughan

[Michaelhatesfans]

If you've got Direct TV, check out this weekend's Freeview! SRV in concert. Strap yourself into your chair when he gets to Voodoo Chile! :eek: :thumbup:

[fourrunner]

Geez - when I saw the topic I thought he Died , then I realized he already did that !

But your right .... awesome guitar player .... Died way to soon!

Gotta have those damn helicopters to wisk you everywhere .... a percentages thing

Wonder if Clapton has been in one since ??

[Michaelhatesfans]

I didn't realize how good he was until I saw this, and that's saying something because I was already a big fan. But listening is one thing, but watching the fingers and the hands really brings it all home... wow!

[Jag_Warrior]

Thank you, sir!!! :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:

I never check those channels and would have missed this.

[nrc]

Yep, if you've never really seen or paid attention to SRV's playing you might not realize that it's all him. And when you hear him live you may not realize that he's playing parts behind his back better than most players play normally.

Most importantly, SRV never just threw out high speed barrages of randome notes just to show his chops. He was always fluid, always melodic, always soulful.


Alpine Valley, in the middle of the night
Six Strings Down, on the heaven-bound flight
Got a pick, a strap, guitar on his back
Ain't gonna cut the angels no slack
Heaven done called another blues stringer back home

[Al Czervik]

I went to the Saturday Alpine Valley show. Awestruck. Went to a Sox game in Chicago on Sunday, woke up Monday to the news of the crash. :(

Damn glad I went to see the show, and to this day sorry I didn't go to the Fab T-Brids/SRV show at Purdue when I was going to school there.

[Michaelhatesfans]

Looks like the program that's on now is going to be released on DVD soon! :thumbup: Early start to my Christmas list, I guess!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002SPPSC/qid=1094359577/sr=8-3/ref=pd_ka_3/104-0106115-4435958?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

[Ziggy]

I saw the TBirds and SRV in Bloomington.

Saw Stevie at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University when touring "Texas Flood"

Saw him at Deer Creek

best damn guitar player ever,

message to Johnny Lang, get your own style

[nrc]

message to Johnny Lang, get your own style

I'll have to listen and pay attention, but Lang never struck me as an SRV poser. He's always sounded more like Luther Allison to me (another Blues great gone too soon).

[Ziggy]

If you would have asked Stevie to play some Luther Allison

he would have said

"put some strings on him"






Of couse SRV would have never said that! Stevie was given huge props by the pioneers of the genre. He was almost single handedly responsible for it's uptick during his all too brief career. Not only were they gratefull, but they knew that he put a serious buttsmaking on those reworked classics and forgotten chestnuts and for all intents and purpose, made them his own.

you ever hear the original Wham by Lonnie Mack?
you ever hear SRV play it?

Fenton Robinson's version of "Texas Flood" off "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" (alligator records #4705, released 1974) would withstand this test, while the lyrics are the same, the songs are completely different. If you dont have a copy of this record, you should! A classic recording. The song writer credit is too Roby, Scott & Davis, so I have no idea who those guys are, but when they heard SRV's version, I bet they about ****!

Johnny Lang is a putz

[SteveH]

I saw Lang when he was 16. He blew me away. Much better than today's slick package designed to appeal to the masses.

[racer2c]

As a young man in my early 20's I was living in New Orleans and working as a 'stage hand' at the famous Sanger Theater downtown. The Sanger was part of the Jazz Festival that year and as a perk I got VIP 'roadie' passes to all events. The main event out at the fair grounds was SRV and I parked myself for the entire concert right next to his stack of Fenders, not five feet behind the man himself. It was a spiritual happening and one I'll never forget. Every note was effortless as if god himself were working the strings. I went on to become a professional guitarist myself and Stevie was a huge influence, even though I played a different vain of music.

[devilmaster]

Of couse SRV would have never said that! Stevie was given huge props by the pioneers of the genre. He was almost single handedly responsible for it's uptick during his all too brief career. Not only were they gratefull, but they knew that he put a serious buttsmaking on those reworked classics and forgotten chestnuts and for all intents and purpose, made them his own.

One of my most favorite blues songs that I have is a live version of 'The Sky is Crying' done by SRV with Albert King and B.B. King. Great recording.

Steve

[oddlycalm]

BB King nailed it when he said that while he and most other players periodically get to that place where the music just flows out of them freely, independent of their will, Stevie had the singular ability to go to that place every time he picked up his guitar. Every player has off nights, I even saw Hendrix a couple times on off nights when he couldn't get anything going, but Stevie never had an off night since he was a teenager.

His style was unique, but even more so since his guitars had frets off a bass guitar neck and very heavy strings tuned a half step low. I traded collector Nick Schilling (Schilling Spice heir) for a Relic Mary Kay Strat that Vince Cunneto at the Fender custom shop had made to SRV specs. For me, it required considerably more hand strength than I had at the time, was next to impossible to play and felt like pulling on powerline cables or something. Of course that's also part of what gave him such a rich tonal depth. The other element of course were the Caesar Diaz modified Fender Twins, Marshalls and a Dumble Overdrive Special amps he used.

oc

[nrc]

One of my most favorite blues songs that I have is a live version of 'The Sky is Crying' done by SRV with Albert King and B.B. King. Great recording.

Steve

Is it available on a CD somewhere?

[devilmaster]

It is a neat track. There is reference to Paul Butterfield being on stage also.

If Butterfield was on the track, that dates the concert probably between 83 (texas flood released) and 87 when Paul died. If he wasn't on it, then of course it can date up to 1990 when SRV died.

Steve

[devilmaster]

Also, if anyone is interested in getting to know more, a good starting point might be this book:

The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray by Tony Russell (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0028648625/qid=1094503128/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/104-2410516-6895119?v=glance&s=books)

I got it as a gift from my sister a couple years back. Its a good coffee table book with a huge section on bios of many blues artists throughout the century. Included in it, is CD's that the book calls 'Milestone Recordings' and is a must have for any blues fan.

I thought I knew a good amount of the blues before I got the book, boy was I wrong.

Steve

[chop456]

I don't know that we'll see his equal in our lifetimes. Ziggy is spot-on with Johnny Lang, etc. SRV had more soul in one note than most can muster in a 90 minute show. I turned down a chance to go to the last show due to another engagement. We spent Saturday night at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, which was across the street from my apartment at the time. He'd sometimes show up after a gig and we were hoping to be there if he sat in. Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon showed up, but no SRV. Oddly enough, years later the friend I was with would go on to work with them during the Arc Angels/Storyville days. I was lucky enough to be at the bar once when Willie Dixon ( :eek: ) and Dave Mason showed up to jam.

I was fortunate so see him a few times before his passing. Always a huge treat, and the one thing I probably remember most is seeing the glow of his cigarrette before the stage lights came up, and hearing him noodling around on some solos, then opening with Scuttlebuttin' 9 out of 10 times.

Saw him at Alpine Valley with Jeff Healey and Little Feat
Chicago Blues Festival (84?)
Holiday Star Theater with the T-Birds
Holiday Star Theater w/ The Outlaws
UIC Pavillion w/Jeff Beck
Poplar Creek w/Gregg Allman(?)
Poplar Creek w/I don't remember

Probably a couple more, but I can't remember. Save your ticket stubs, kiddies.

I remember that morning, and I still have the Chicago Sun-Times from that day. "Death In The Fog" is the headline.

Luther Allison passed too early as well.

[pineapple]

PBS (or one of the public channel stations) ran a six-part series on the blues last summer with Clint Eastwood as the host. Good program filled with music, interviews, history...

[RacinM3]

I TiVo'd this....looks pretty good....I'll watch it tonight.

[4wheeldrifter]

best damn guitar player ever,



Amen to that. Can't think of anyone else even close. :(

[racer2c]

Amen to that. Can't think of anyone else even close. :(

I got to give a nod to Hendrix for his innovativeness.

[Michaelhatesfans]

I went to the Saturday Alpine Valley show. Awestruck. Went to a Sox game in Chicago on Sunday, woke up Monday to the news of the crash. :(


Not sure if this was the night you went, but this guy has mp3's of the Alpine Valley show - thought I'd let you know.
http://www.srvrocks.com/mp3s.htm

[Ziggy]

I have alot of Jimi's stuff as well. Bunch actually, as a buddy of mine is a foremost authority on all things Hendrix. I even have an oil painting of the "Band of Gypsys" done by my sister as a gift in 1972 or so... I never listened to anything other than Rock and Roll. Dont know why, but the blues hit me in 1982 when they closed this big department store in TerreHaute Indiana. I cant even remember the name of the place. All albums were two dollars, which was super cheap. I bought a large stack of them, one was Johnny Winter's debut album on Columbia. FHUUUCK ME, that album has some major FHUUCKIN jams on it.

Made in 1969, and Oh, so fine. Tommy Shannon has been around a while, as he is the bass player on this album. This is a hallmark recording, and one that never gets very far away from my disk changer. In addition to Winter, Shannon and "Uncle" John Turner, the session credits go out to Willlie Dixon (!), Walter Horton (!) Karl Garvin, Wynn Butler and Edgar Winter to name a few. This record SMOKES, thirtyfive years later it still SMOKES! Johnny Winter is one serious bad hombre with a six string in his hands. I have seen him countless times, on drugs and straight (!) and Im sure he could rip your head off with that Axe. He's getting older and not to healthy, but if you see him coming around, get out your wallet and make some time.

Back to Stevie, I had some buds move to Denton TX in mid 1983 or so. We kept in contact then (as we do now, one is a member of this board who never posts much, which is too bad, cause the dude is funny as ell) He goes "ehy Zig, you need to check this cat out Stevie Ray Vaughn, cause he is a bad mofo. I was living in TerribleHaute and hanging with like minded folks, who were out to impress me with their grasp of all things cool in the world of music. Sitting in Sams Spinning Wheel shooting the breeze, and they go, guess who were going to see in Indy next week? I go SRV, I got my tickets the other day! Stevie's first trip to Indy, and at Clowes Hall (which is a killer venue, they never have rock shows in there) We went, the place only holds about twelve hundred humans, and this dude from Texas just went elBerzerko and ripped that joint to shreads! It was a very special event, and a hallmark of my life which led me down the road to buying tons of Blues Albums looking for some obscure or little known musician with killer chops. It has been a very rewarding journey, as I could give a crap about Hootie, DeeMathews or Three Chords down.

Thanks Stevie, You will always be around

[nrc]

Johhny Winter was pretty great in his day. The last live album was a disappointment - too much hard living I guess.

Stevie gave props to Hendrix, Albert King, all his influences and all the men who really lived the blues. But he really had a gift that went beyond pretty much any of them.

[G.]

Save your ticket stubs, kiddies.

Oh, you mean that ticket stub from his jam in Champaign IL? That ticket stub that I got him to sign? That ticket stub that I tossed away since I am not one to collect autographs? THAT one? :cry:

I chucked it about a year before he passed. :(

Anyone in the Chicago area, there's a guy named Melvin Taylor. Find him. Listen. He's not SRV, but he's around. I saw him in a little suburban club. It was surreal. He would finish a song and the crowd was silent. "Jaws on the table"-silent.

(G., waiting for the "got any autographs of FMA, etc., that you can throw away?")

[KaBoom21]

Not one to shed a tear at the passing of people I don't know (especially celebs), but SRV and Freddie Mercury were the exception.

[Michaelhatesfans]

FYI, I just realized that Direct TV is showing that concert every weekend this month. :thumbup:

[SteveH]

Dont know why, but the blues hit me in 1982 when they closed this big department store in TerreHaute Indiana.

Man Zig, you must of really liked that department store. :laugh: