Stevie Ray Vaughan
Texas Flood

A couple of days ago, while going through the press review, I learned that Stevie Ray Vaughan would have turned seventy, had he not died in a helicopter accident in 1990. Like the rest of the world outside of Texas, the first time I read his name was in 1983, when skimming through the liner notes of Bowie’s "Let’s Dance"; Lead Guitar: Stevie Ray Vaughan. And that’s where it ended. In those years, thanks to Bowie, I was overwhelmed by the new English wave with dark undertones, so much so that I hated David's latest release; like all his fans, I felt betrayed.

Years later, as my passion for the Blues solidified, I read about how things happened and, as is often the case, if a story piques my interest, it features my three favorites: the Glimmer Twins and the White Duke. Although, in this case, the decisive role is played by Jackson Browne. And it’s a story worth telling because it’s a beautiful story of solidarity among musicians, despite the cynicism that sometimes seems to poison the star system. Moreover, it’s an emblematic story of the early '80s: the years of new wave, post-punk, early videoclips, and the nascent MTv.

It all began in 1982 when Mick & Keith, during a night out clubbing in Dallas, saw a performance by the Austin guitarist with his band, the "Double Trouble". Impressed by his talent, Jagger recommended Vaughan to producer Jerry Wexler, who brought the trio to the "Montreux Jazz Festival" on July 18th of the same year. The two instrumental pieces with which the three scruffy musicians opened the concert were a shock for the reserved audience of the Jazz Festival, unprepared for such vehement sound, especially during a period when guitarists seemed to have lost the path of electric Blues in favor of a clean and predominantly acoustic sound for which the performance hall had been arranged. In the silence of what, in the audience’s expectations, should have been an acoustic performance, the \“boos\” of disapproval from the audience became apparent, especially at the start of "Texas Flood" since it’s a slow piece, but in response, they received another round of fiery interpretations!

Because that’s how Stevie was, he went straight down his path. And his path started from the devilish crossroads of Robert Johnson and went straight through Albert King to Jimi Hendrix, he didn’t care about the rest. Vaughan himself would later recall: “They thought we were too loud, but damn it, I had four military blankets folded over my amp, and the volume was at 2. I’m used to playing on 10!” Not everyone, however, was displeased, a certain David Jones present in the audience, better known as Bowie, was positively impressed by it. And not just him: a music critic commented on the performance, writing: “He came from nowhere, dressed like Zorro with a 1959 Fender Stratocaster. He had no album, no recording contract, no name. After that concert, everyone wanted to know who he was.”

The following night, Double Trouble performed again in the lounge of the Montreux Casino, with Jackson Browne being so captivated by the power trio that he joined them in a jam session, after which he offered them the free use of his personal recording studio in downtown Los Angeles. Towards the end of November, the band accepted his offer and recorded ten songs in two days. While they were in the studio, Vaughan received a phone call from David Bowie inviting him to participate in the recording of “Let’s Dance”.

The product of those two days of recording in California are the ten tracks of “Texas Flood”, released on June 13, 1983, and that surprisingly reached the 38th position on the Billboard 200 chart shortly after its release. It achieved platinum status in Canada and double platinum in the United States, selling over 2,000,000 copies. A true anomaly when you think of the chart-dominators overseas in 1983: “Thriller” by M. Jackson, the “Flashdance” soundtrack, “Synchronicity” by the Police, and the debut of Men At Work. What is an album that could have been recorded in 1969 or at most in 1973 doing among the big names of ‘83? How did it get there? In 1983, blues was essentially dead as a commercial force. Suddenly, in the era of the synth, here comes this guitarist who does nothing particularly innovative and becomes a star. What the hell is going on?

The answer lies in the phenomenon that characterized the ’80s the most: music on TV and the products conceived by record companies to promote music outside of the radio, now abandoned by teenagers, the videoclip. Even Zorro recorded one to promote the single “Love Struck Baby” in which, emblematic of the time, he captures the attention of a woman dressed like Cindy Lauper, a guy like Leroy Johnson, and other fauna typical of the eighties gathered inside a pub, at the incipit of the solo: the strength of Stevie and all those who kept the sacred fire of the Blues alive. However, not a video that will go down in history, only that in '82 MTv was just one year old and the material to air was limited compared to the 24-hour continuous rotation of the newborn music channel. So it happened that Zorro often entered North American homes, decreeing the success of an almost thirty-year-old artist.

The beauty is that he did it with a product that was also the cause of his isolation in Texas until then. Even his brother, also a guitarist, thanks to a more sober and concise style gathered more acclaim with his Rock Blues group, the Fabulous Thunderbirds; although for them, real success would come in 1986 with the album “Tuff Enuff”. Stevie, on the other hand, had a reputation only in Texas where he had made himself known by playing canonical Blues that openly drew inspiration from bluesmen like Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Albert Collins, and from early Rock musicians like Jimi Hendrix. Nothing particularly new, only that he did it masterfully. Zorro yes, but without a mask: SRV pays homage to his numerous musical idols, both through performing their material and inserting vaguely familiar tones and riffs into unpublished material. Stevie is not innovative, he simply plays Blues and Rock Blues the best he can, until creating his unique style.

The set of songs that make up the debut album is the result of years spent together with the two members of “Double Trouble”, Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums, in the venues of the Texas circuit. They have no problems recording in just two days, they know the material like the back of their hands, and they manage to bring out a product full of energy and with a great sound. Indeed, the somewhat precarious conditions under which it all takes place (“We set up in the center of the floor, as if playing in a warehouse. We played the music like the band played every night and recorded it ... we recorded on an old tape that Jackson Browne had used for the pre-production of his record “Lawyers in Love” recalls Layton) give the work a freshness that makes it stand out compared to subsequent studio works.

Of course, the problem is that Vaughan doesn’t have the best white voice in Blues and as a songwriter, he doesn’t shine for inventiveness. This might be why my favorite tracks are the covers, like “Tell Me” or the title track, or the instrumental “Rude Mood”, “Testify” or the dreamy “Lenny”, which show what a talented musician he was. However, if you are a lover of blues or boogie or, better yet, a fan of guitar heroes, you’ll find, like me, the way SRV plays these songs great, and that’s all that matters. And it will matter for the next seven years, both in subsequent studio albums and especially in live settings where, in many instances, he will find himself duetting with idols from his training, thus crowning a lifelong dream, which no, was not becoming a rockstar.

The story ends as it began, with an act of solidarity and friendship from another musician, Eric Clapton. After seven years, no one calls him Zorro anymore; he has built a solid career, even though he risked burning it all with the usual mix of alcohol and drugs, but he recently became sober. On August 27, 1990, he participates in a jam session of Blues superstars in East Troy, a mountain resort in Wisconsin alongside Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and his brother Jimmie. After the concert, four helicopters awaited the musicians to take them to Chicago. One of the helicopters was reserved for Stevie, Jimmie, and his wife but had already been occupied by some members of Clapton’s crew. Stevie Ray is tired, worn by treatments and abstinence wants to return to Chicago. Eric Clapton gives him the last free spot. The helicopter takes off around midnight and fifty minutes into a foggy night and crashes shortly after on a ski slope, killing all the passengers aboard. End of story.

Side A

Love Struck Baby - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Texas Flood - Larry Davis, Joseph Wade Scott

Tell Me - Howlin' Wolf

Testify - Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley

Side B

Rude Mood - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Mary Had a Little Lamb - Buddy Guy

Dirty Pool - Doyle Bramhall, Vaughan

I'm Cryin - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Lenny - Stevie Ray Vaughan