Long live Stevie Ray Vaughan!
It was 29 years ago that the music world was rocked by the helicopter crash that took this guitar legend’s life. I have discussed the magnitude of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career in previous posts so I will not repeat myself. (See Ted Tocks: The Sky is Crying, Texas Flood, Superstition, Little Wing) Today’s post will be more about the circumstances that led to this tragic evening.
It is eerie to note that Stevie Ray Vaughan told his bandmates that he had a nightmare where he envisioned he was at his own funeral. This occurred just the day before his death. Accounts of this were shared among band and crew and they all noted that he said he felt both terrified and peaceful. On the night of his final performance Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played the famous Wisconsin venue, Alpine Valley Amphitheatre. The blues group were on a bill that included Stevie’s brother Jimmie Vaughan, The Robert Cray Band, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton. Seriously! What an evening this must have been. I am going to press pause here and play ‘Pride and Joy’.
Listening to this is like channeling the spirits. It is somewhat blurry, yet so vivid. Just listen to that guitar. It’s like an explosion of greatness.
Speaking of greatness; over the years through the beauty of YouTube and file sharing I have had access to the final performance of Stevie Ray Vaughan and this show. For an encore, Stevie Ray brought out the entire cast. Here they are playing ‘Sweet Home Chicago’. Again, it sends chills. Wow!
When Eric Clapton describes you in these terms, you know you are in the upper echelon of guitar players:
“The worst thing for me was that Stevie Ray had been sober for three years and was at his peak. When he played that night, he had all of us standing there with our jaws dropped. I mean, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy were just watching in awe. There was no one better than him on this planet. Really unbelievable.”
Eric Clapton
Just thinking about the adulation is jaw dropping. The audience at Alpine Valley was also in awe. They also had no idea what they were witnessing. This is where the tragedy begins.
After the show, the musicians gathered and talked about future plans that included Stevie Ray playing with Eric Clapton at a series of shows in London at Royal Albert Hall in early 1991. It was to be a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. As that conversation was concluding Eric Clapton’s tour manager Peter Jackson notified the entourage that the weather was worsening. Things were clouding over, and it was time to go. According to Vaughan’s drummer Chris Layton his last words in that circle were “I love ya”.
There were four helicopters waiting. This is where things become reminiscent of ‘the day the music died’ (See Ted Tocks La Bamba). Stevie Ray was with his brother Jimmie, and his sister in law Connie. Initially, a helicopter was reserved for this trio but when they went to board the they discovered that the seats were taken by Clapton’s agent, bodyguard and assistant tour manager. One more seat remained, and Stevie Ray asked if he could take it, saying “I really need to get back.” They obliged.
The helicopter took off in the fog and apparently took a lower altitude than the others. It banked sharply and crashed into the side of a ski hill a little after 1 am. The wreckage was discovered at about 7 am on August 27th. Eric Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan were called to identify the bodies. The cause of death was determined to be massive internal injuries sustained upon impact. The Transportation Safety Board deemed the cause of the accident to be ‘controlled flight in terrain’. The pilot could not see the hill due to the fog. The flight company was ultimately sued for not operating within the confines of visual flight rules. A settlement was reached.
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s funeral was attended by over 4500 people. 1500 were in the chapel and over 3000 stood outside. The outpouring of grief was staggering. Attendees included, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, the members of ZZ Top, Eric Clapton and Jackson Browne.
It was just like his dream in a sense…sad but peacefully serene as they celebrated the life of one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. He was only 35.
Very briefly, I will reflect on ‘Pride and Joy’. The song was Stevie Ray Vaughan’s first single. It was actually a part of his live repertoire long before its release in 1983 on his Texas Flood album. It was written by Stevie Ray Vaughan for his girlfriend at the time. It managed to hit the top 20 on Billboard Magazine’s Mainstream Rock chart. Stevie Ray was never about the charts. He was about the virtuosity and more than that he was about the blues. He was the complete package. He brought the blues to ‘the mainstream’ during a time that was being overcome by new wave and pop. When I reflect back on the ‘80s music scene and memories that I embraced wholeheartedly, Stevie Ray Vaughan is top of mind. He represented the best attributes of about ten blues guitar greats rolled into one and he delivered the message from a previous era to an audience that was waiting to listen. Stevie Ray Vaughan helped to revive the blues and to this day his name resides among the greats in that genre. He picked up the torch and raised it high. His legend lives on and thankfully, so does the extremely important blues genre. In my opinion, the blues are the root of rock and roll.
Thank you, Stevie Ray!
For today’s cover versions I have performances from two remarkable talents.
First, here is Albert King. Albert is literally a blues king and one of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s biggest influences. I distinctly remember watching this on CHCH in Hamilton back in 1983. This version of ‘Pride and Joy’ blew me away. He shares the stage with Stevie Ray Vaughan.
To close out here is Bonnie Raitt declaring her love for Stevie Ray Vaughan and then completely knocking this cover version out of the park.
Have a great day!
Ted Tocks Covers 
Reblogged this on Ted Tocks Covers and commented:
Originally posted on August 27, 2019
LikeLike