The Life Of Stevie Ray Vaughan Essay

The Life Of Stevie Ray Vaughan Essay, Research Paper The Life of Stevie Ray Vaughan This paper is about how a small time boy from Oak Cliff, Texas with a dream, revolutionized the way blues guitar was played. By 17 he new what he wanted to do with his life, thus dropping out of school to become a blues guitarist. All throughout Stevie’s career he was loved and adored for his gentle touch and majestic rhythmic guitar playing. Throughout his life he led three bands to hitting it big, released five albums with “Double Trouble”. Most importantly, Stevie became sober. He turned away from the substances, even though he believed they gave him the drive to play the way he did. By age eleven Stevie Ray Vaughan was an impressionable boy, whose brother’s rhythmic guitar playing

inspired him to pick up his first guitar. In 1963, he would begin an era of guitar playing that would revolutionize the way blues was done. As early as 1961, Stevie was already sneaking into his brother’s room just to sneak a strum on Jimmie’s guitar before he came home. “I just felt like I was destined to play blues guitar. Whenever I picked it up I just felt this surge of adrenaline over take my nine-year-old body”, implied Stevie (Patoski 4). In 1963, Stevie had taken up guitar playing and had apprenticed himself to Jimmie (Patoski 1-20). By 1972, he was an ambitious blues guitarist with only one thing on his mind, his guitar. Stevie felt it was pointless to stay in school, when what he really wanted to do with his life had nothing to do with school. So by his junior

year Stevie had dropped out of high school to play his guitar full-time in his band, “The Cobras”. “The Cobras” consisted of five members; the drummer, John Turner, singer, Bruce Bowland, bassist, Tommy Shannon, keyboardist, Mike Kindred, and Stevie Ray Vaughan as guitarist. Stevie’s decision to drop out of school ended up being the best decision that he would ever make. “The Cobras” was Stevie’s ticket to the big time (Patoski 83). By 1976, Stevie was well on the path to stardom, with his new band, “The Triple Threat Revue”. “The Triple Threat Revue” landed its debut at the Soap Creek Saloon, on August 8th, 1976. This was Stevie’s golden opportunity to expand his horizons and strut his stuff in front of thousands of people. Stevie’s band debuted with

the “Fabulous Thunderbirds”, whose front man was Jimmie Vaughan, in Stubb’s Night Club in Lubbock, Texas. Stevie was later quoted saying, “There’s one good thing about playing at Stubb’s, you get a great meal and money in your pocket”(Patoski 107). In 1977, one year after Triple Threat’s debut, Mike Kindred and W.C. Clark quit the band. A few days before their second Soap Creek gig, Jack Newhouse made the announcement that this would be his last gig with “The Triple Threat Revue” (Patoski 110). In the of spring of 1978, “The Triple Threat Revue” changed it’s name to “Double Trouble”. “Double Trouble” headlined with Stevie as their front man up until his death. With Lou Ann Barton and Chris Layton left, all they needed was a bassist. Stevie knew

of a man named Tommy Shannon, who played with Stevie when they were with “The Cobras”. “Double Trouble” debuted at the Miller Outdoor Amphitheater in Houston, Texas. Lou Ann owned about 30 minutes per show, singing solo some of her favorite tunes, but when she was gone Stevie stepped forward and sang his favorites. Those times when Lou Ann was gone, Stevie liked to sing his old favorite, “Thunderbird”, as well as Otis Rush’s “All Your Lovin’”, and Albert King’s “Crosscut Saw” (Patoski 112). In 1978, Stevie met a woman by the name of Lenora Bailey. Lenora was the daughter of a military man. Lenora never had a stable home when she was a child. She was a wild, impulsive, and outgoing spoiled military child. She managed to carry all of those qualities over