The perfect combination of raw power, unmeasurable control, mutual respect and honed skill and a lifetime’s worth of playing live clubs around Texas came together after some assistance from John Hammond and Jackson Brown (who lent Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble his studio) to launch Texas Flood – their first album.
Single handedly SRV and Double Trouble became the 1980’s ambassador’s of the blues – putting an edgy, rock-based influence on the blues great that came before from Albert, Freddie and BB King to Buddy Guy, Lighting Hopkins, Hubert Sumlin and countless others. Stevie Ray took over where the English blues greats such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page had left off in the 60’s and 70’s but adding a Texas flare to his blues that was as infectious as it was dangerous.
This album captured the best of SRV and Double Trouble combining years of live “rehearsals” while keeping the freshness of never playing a song the same way twice.
Congratulations to Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble at that time), as well as the late great SRV who is forever in our hearts, minds, and imaginations.
SRV And Double Trouble’s ‘Texas Flood’ Inducted Into GRAMMY Hall Of Fame
Filed under Blog, blues guitar, stevie ray vaughan by on Dec 28th, 2020. Comment. 
Pretty impressive paring, Plant sounds terrific of late and Jack White is just Jack White – an innovator always pushing the edges just the way it should be. What do you guys think?
I should have quite you a long time ago…who can’t relate?
Filed under Blog, Blues Legends, rock and roll by on Mar 22nd, 2015. Comment.
Gary Clark Jr is one of those rare, charismatic blues guitar players that you just know has some deep down connection with the universe and at times it comes out in his playing.
Just like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Buddy Guy and all of the greats that take their place at the top of the blues guitar podium, there is a special connection with the universe that touches us all much more than just notes on a fretboard can do.
I felt that same connection watching this Farm Aid 2014 performance from Gary Clark Jr. – my sense with Gary is that even he doesn’t realize what power he has when he connects truthfully through his instrument…but we do, don’t you agree?
Filed under Blog by on Oct 2nd, 2014. Comment.
Had this one on my calendar for a few months now, look forward to paying another visit to the Class Axe Blues Festival this weekend in Calabogie, Ontario Canada.
If you are close by, you want to head out tomorrow (Saturday August 16th) to see Jimmy Vaughan and his terrific band. Always a fun time, way to enjoy one of the legendary blues guitar players still touring today.
Hopefully you can make it, if not – be sure to follow Jimmie and catch him when he hits your town.
Filed under Blog by on Aug 15th, 2014. Comment.
I’ll admit it – I’m a YouTube junkie when it comes to keeping an eye on blues guitar greats – past and present.
This little gem was posted recently showing the Mike Flanigin Trio featuring the one and only Jimmy Vaughan on guitar at the Upstairs portion of the Continental Club in Austin Texas.
The song is “Hey Baby” – the massive one-hit produced by Bruce Channel who has been linked in history to Delbert McClinton (a name that is perhaps better known).
The Continental has a rich history opening in Austin in 1957 that includes stints as a popular burlesque club where girls like “Bubbles” and “Candy” graced the stage. How could this NOT evolve into a blues club right?
The 1970’s are where the magic happened with incredible blues guitar acts were booked including the Vaughan Brothers (Stevie Ray and Jimmie in their own bands through the 70’s into the 80’s as well as guys like WC Clark – going to catch him at Ottawa’s Bluesfest this year – The Cobras – with SRV and without – Joe Ely, Leroy Parnell, the Sexton Brothers (Charlie of Arc Angles fame and now a constant fixture in Dylan’s road bands).
Not bad right?
Thing is, you rarely see the big names giving back like this anymore. They all came out of the Texas blues or honkeytonk scene, this clip gives us a glimpse into what it must have been like back in the blues guitar heydey in Austin, not to mention the active club scenes in both Dallas and Houston.
Filed under Blog by on May 1st, 2013. Comment.
You’ve heard it a thousand times right – blues guitar is as much about when you play the notes as the quantity of notes you play on the guitar. After all, it is the combination of steady, infectious rhythm with creative melodies crafted with an instinctive sense of timing that creates the masters of the blues guitar.
Think Freddie King’s 1961 hit “Hideaway” brilliantly written for blues guitar and you immediately think of the different levels of melodies with impeccable timing on top of a very powerful shuffle rhythm. Seeing Freddie bop to the rhythm while he played the instrumental on his bright red Gibson ES-335. No doubt Freddie received much of his training in melody and unique finger picking style from his mentor Jimmy Rogers – an early member of Muddy Water Band in the 1950’s.
In today’s era of playing louder and stronger it is still nice to hear guitar players who master the 3 critical factors of rhythm, timing and melody.
Case in point – someone I’ve been drawn to increasingly in the last few months is Jimmie Vaughan, brother of the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan and guitar master behind the original Fabulous Thunderbirds where he helped mold the modern Texas blues sound.
Listen to Jimmie in this version of “Don’t You Know” from his Strange Pleasure CD
Notice how choosy Jimmy is with his note selection – every note means something in terms of melody to the song.
Now everyone marvels at Stevie Ray Vaughan’s incredible attack and fast playing, but what really made him great is that combined with the sense of rhythm, timing and melody that he shares with his older brother Jimmy.
Anyone who listened at all to the Fabulous Thunderbirds knows what an amazing rhythm guitar player Jimmy is – but for those who want a reminder, listen to this powerful, hard-hitting rhythm Jimmy uses on his recent CD titled “On the Jimmy Reed Highway”
When I think of Jimmy I think of the Groove Man…I could listen to that rhythm all day, it’s good for the soul:
What do you guys think – isn’t this the way guitar was meant to be played?
Filed under Blog by on Oct 21st, 2009. Comment.
