Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Dear Hubby
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 10:37 PM

I meant to post to this thread on Sunday, but never got around to it.

I was a late comer to the Blues (maybe turning 40 had something to do with it). I wasn't big into Stevie Ray when he was around, but I do remember back in '83 when I picked up a copy of David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' and kept playing 'Cat People' over and over because I couldn't get enough of that "In-Your-Face" guitar intro.

I didn't link that record with Stevie Ray until some time later when he became more well known. I've recently (sadly) been making up for lost time.

Anyway some random thoughts:

It really bugs me to hear people going on about how he was a Hendrix wannabe, or dissecting his music for this or that influence. Yes, he incorporated other artists licks, sounds, etc. If you listen closely, you'll hear Hendrix, Lonnie Mack, Albert King, brother Jimmie (Stevie's biggest idol) and other influences in his music. But in the end, it was all Stevie Ray.

I think the thing that made Stevie Ray Vaughan special was the not his tone or technique or licks (fine though they may have been), but it was the way he poured his heart and soul into every performance of every song.

He was special because (from what I've read) the people who knew him personally still thought he was special, and not just for his guitar playing.

He was special for not being a tragic hero in the Hendrix/Joplin/Morrison vane, but for cheating death to give us three years of his best music before fate finally claimed him.

I have to admit that (much to Áine's chagrin) I did buy a Strat. And Stevie Ray was a big factor in that. I'll never play like he did; but, I think about him every time I pick it up, and I try to match the passion, if not the profienciency (though usually failing on both counts).

While other guitarist may go by all three of their names, sandpaper their guitar, and comp the notes and the tone, there will never be another Stevie Ray Vaughan.

But here's hoping ...

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST,devil's advocate
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 12:07 PM

If nothing else, you learn a lot about the rudimentary elements of a certain style of playing by trying to copy a particular artist. If that style happens to be electric blues guitar, then you're going to learn a lot about note bending and vibrato, for example.

Beyond that, trying to copy someone note for note on a particular solo may or may not clue you in to elements of that artist's particular signature style, like Stevie using those funky rhythm/lead chords, or Chuck Berry's kick-off at the beginning of "Johnny B. Goode," which is now a classic rock 'n' roll cliche. More rarely, you may get an insight into the creative process the artist used to construct that particular solo.

But there's where the benefits end. It makes no sense to try to copy every little nuance of phrasing and tone when the original artist is always going to be able to do it much better than you yourself can. Stevie sounding like Stevie is always going to be better than guitarist X sounding like Stevie, no matter how proficient guitarist X is, IMO.

It's enough to know how something was done - how a particular phrase was executed, what notes were played, etc. That's the cornerstone, then comes the experimentation, the 'english' you put on it to make it you're own. And you dream that this someday will evolve into your unique, individual style, for better or worse. Hopefully better.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST,Luther
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 09:44 AM

yeah, exactly. The sentiment expressed in that eulogy is fine, but it's clear the writer isn't a player, and doesn't have a clue how Stevie Ray arrived at his style. Like almost everybody else he learned by copying his idols, voraciously. Originality, especially in a fairly narrow style like electric blues, is all in the interpretation, the licks and techniques are pretty much carved in granite. If you don't know them, you can't play the style, and you learn them by imitating.

It is annoying to walk into a music store and hear a bunch of bad SRV clones, but that's got nothing to do with the process of copying -- the best players on the planet also learn by copying, they just bring more to the game than the music-store noodlers.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 09:43 AM

I could never understand all the fuss about Stevie. Sure he was a fine guitarist who had wonderful tone, but I found his style to be a copy of Albert King and Jimi Hndrix. I liked his playing, but I guess I get defensive when I hear people say he was the best ever, just as I do when people say the same about Clapton, Page etc.

I guess what bothers me the most about his passing is the fact that he had embraced life, wrestled his demons to the ground, and was killed in an accident. I always find this to be doubly tragic.

I love the advice given in the original post, I've heard way to many "Strat & Hat" guys trying to copy Stevie note for note. Fellas, it's okay to be influenced by Stevie, but borrow form it and develop your own sound, just as he did.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: annamill
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 09:35 AM

GUEST,devil's advocate, it's funny you should mention that Stevie was a follower of jimi. I'm not a big Hendrix fan. In fact, I went out and bought a 'best of' just to see if I could discover what I was missing. I gave it away. But... when Stevie does a Hendrix tune I love it. I couldn't explain why. I think it's cleaner or not so jumbled. I don't know. I'll have to think about it. Anyway the jist of this posting is that I like the way Stevie does Hendrix better than Jimi does Hendrix ;-)

Love, annamill

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: annamill
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 09:29 AM

GUEST,devil's advocate, it's funny you should mention that Stevie was a follower of jimi. I'm not a big Hendrix fan. In fact, I went out and bought a 'best of' just to see if I could discover what I was missing. I gave it away. But... when Stevie does a Hendrix tune I love it. I couldn't explain why. I think it's cleaner or not so jumbled. I don't know. I'll have to think about it. Anyway the jist of this posting is that I like the way Stevie does Hendrix better than Jimi does Hendrix ;-)

Love, annamill

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST,devil's advocate
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 08:46 AM

SRV was an original guitarist in his own right, but he often acknowledged the influence Hendrix had on his style. Just listen to his cover of "Voodoo Chile" and it's obvious. In the early days of his career, a common criticism levelled at him was that he was just another in a long line of Hendrix copycats. He grew out of that stigma, but it's apparent that Stevie himself had no qualms about copying another's style to the extent that if the listener didn't know better, he'd almost swear that they'd resurrected some old Hendrix outtakes that had been squirrelled away in a vault somewhere. Vaughan especially liked the way Hendrix would finish off his sonic leads with a few bars of funkadelic rhythm/lead, as at the end of the "All Along The Watch Tower" solo, and he built the title track to "Couldn't Stand The Weather" around that device. Maybe his ability to sound like Hendrix was what initially launched him out of the clubs and into the big leagues.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Mooh
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 05:23 PM

For a few months last year my dreaded day job made me drive (commute) two+ hours every day. I tried to create misc tapes of music for the road. When I came to record some SRV "best of" it required 3 tapes and I still wasn't satisfied. As an artist, his work was of a consistantly high quality that it's hard to call any of it dispensible. I had the same problem with Simon Mayor and Led Zeppelin. SRV is one of the foremost influences on my playing, not that I can play like him that is. He brought guitar to alot of people...

Has it really been ten years? I know where he is now.

Peace, where's that spellcheck?, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Kim C
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 10:05 AM

I loved Stevie Ray. Just loved him, although I don't think I ever got to see him play live. (I'm pretty sure I didn't because if I did I'd probably remember!)

Back then I loved a guy named David who played in a blues band. It was his birthday, a cool, clear December day, and the two of us went off on a beer run. "Trouble is Knockin'" was playing on the radio. Perhaps that was an omen (!) but I still have fond memories of that little while.

"Pride & Joy" is still my favorite SRV song of all time.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: JenEllen
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 10:34 PM

Bittersweet memories of Stevie playing in a club in Chicago. Fantastic. Laughing because he flung sweat on this big-eyed girl in the front and gave a 'sorry 'bout that' wink. She drove home 8 hrs in a daze. The same girl not believing when the gal in the dorm room across the hall came over to say "That guy you like, you know, died..or something..."

I'm gonna light myself a candle tonight and blast "Love Struck Baby" until the neighbors complain.

~Elle

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: annamill
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 12:45 PM

I've jusr recently, I'd say within the last 5 years, discovered what they now call 'Classic Rock'. Most of the music I've come to love I heard first on a classic rock station, freaked, ran to my local music store and bought the album.

One day, like any other, I was sitting in my car, going to some senseless place to do some senseless thing, when I heard a piece of music that made my blood rush, my eyes tear, and my body rock. It was 'Crossfire'. The stinkin announcer didn't give the name of the song, or the artist. I left off the senseless nonsense and swerved off to my local CD music store.

Now here I was in front of the clerk telling him I just heard a piece of music that had the line '..caught in the crossfire..' with a fantastic guitarist. Who was it????? The clerk looked at me and shrugged.. Just as I was about to scream, a wonderful man whom I will love forever, told me it was called "Crossfire' by Stevie Ray Vaughn. I immediately ran to the 'V's and bought Stevie.
It came as a great shock to me to find he was already gone and I had missed him.
I can only hear him on albums, or see him on TV now. At least some of you actually had the pleasure of seeing him live. I miss him and I never even had him.

Love, annamill

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 12:40 PM

Wes, that is a thread topic by itself. As I said, SRV was a one off and his roots showed.....but he wasn't anyone but SRV.

Most of us have been guilty at some time of imitation of course, but even those of us with meager skills sound better when we play and sing with passions of our own, rather than copying someone else. The essence of SRV was the great talent combined with root knowledge, then stirred with passion. I think that's called "honesty."

Spaw

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Wesley S
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 11:18 AM

Living in north Texas I was lucky enough to hear Stevie Ray Vaughn is some small local clubs before he got popular. In the same article that Aine mentioned the writer mentioned that sometimes SRV was so hot that everyone - bartenders, waitresses, ect - would stop and stare in amazment, sometimes with beer bottles half raised to their open mouths. He was that good.

I guess what disappoints me is that so many guitarists feel like they have to copy him. When an artist makes that much of an impact it seems like hords of less talented people tend to worship at the altar as opposed to going out and finding an origional way to express themselves. You can't go into a guitar shop around here without hearing SRV wannabes playing at 11. They try to copy the licks but they can't duplicate the passion. They've memorized the riffs without going back to the source material to soak up the origional influences. That seems very sad to me. But that's just my opinion. In the long run - Stevie will be missed. You can't help but wonder what tricks he would have had up his sleeve for us and what kind of music he would have been performing today.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 10:02 AM

BB King, a living legend, paid a high compliment when he commented on how SRV's musical ideas flowed seamlessly from one phrase to the next in his playing. He paused, considered this, then said, "I can't do that." What an endorsement.

That reviewer in the Telegram was dead-on. I try to copy a lot of blues licks from a lot of guitar players, but Vaughan infused his playing with so much intense passion it seems almost sacrilege to attempt to sound like him. Ditto Hendrix. Sort of in honor to their memory... and I'm way beyond the guitar-hero worship stage.

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST,Rich(stupidbodhranplayerwhodoesn'tknowbetter
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 04:33 PM

You know, there was probably a dozen opportunities for me to see Stevie Ray and every time, I let it go by and said "Next year." It kills me to think about that but it's pushed me to make a point of seeing a lot of artists while I have the chance. I saw Sean MaGuire and Joe Burke at Milwaukee and thought about that. Sean's really getting up there. There may not be a next year.
Stevie redefined electric blues for a lot of people, not by playing like others but by putting his own fingerprint on it. That's a lesson that can be applied to any instrument in any genre.
Finally, he achieved the greatest success any alcoholic or addict can hope for. He died sober. And that's a lesson for a lot of us.

Rich

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 02:46 PM

That's OK Meebs......I was about to ask the same thing as Glen did.

SRV showed plenty of "roots" but he was a one off in the best ense possible. He was as "expressive" a guitarist as any I can think of.........Its hard to believe its been ten years.........sigh.........

Spaw

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Mbo
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 02:31 PM

Dang 3 names. I was thinking of John Lee Hooker. Sorry...

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: GUEST,Glen
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 02:17 PM

Bran just sent me one of Stevie's albums as an introduction to his music. I like it a whole lot. I've known of his guitar work for years, as he played a lot on many Hank Williams Jr. albums. It's always horrible when someone dies a tragic death, it's seems more so when it's someone with huge talent...he shall not be forgotten.

--Matt

What are you talking about Matt? I don't think Stevie Ray Vaughn ever played on any of Hank Jr.'s albums. If he did, which ablums were they? Please clarify.

Glen

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Mbo
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 12:36 PM

Bran just sent me one of Stevie's albums as an introduction to his music. I like it a whole lot. I've known of his guitar work for years, as he played a lot on many Hank Williams Jr. albums. It's always horrible when someone dies a tragic death, it's seems more so when it's someone with huge talent...he shall not be forgotten.

--Matt

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Branwen23
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 11:58 AM

*sniff*

Subject: RE: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 11:39 AM

Nice piece Aine......very nice.

Spaw

Subject: Stevie Ray - Tens Years Gone
From: Áine
Date: 27 Aug 00 - 11:24 AM

There was a lovely tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan in the Fort Worth Star Telegram today on the tenth anniversary of Stevie Ray's death in a helicopter crash. The writer had some great thoughts on how Stevie "had turned the cliche of the drunk/stoned/troubled bluesman on its head and showed us that inspiration does not come from a bottle or a vial . . . (and) we miss him . . . because of his warmth of spirit, because of his mix of passion and technique, because he transcended the musical and social cliches of the blues. And, finally, because those qualities seem to be shorter supply these days. Which is why the best way to honor Vaughan's memory is to make a point of not sounding like him. Don't copy the licks. Don't buy the Fender Stratocaster and try to get his tone. And, for heaven's sake, don't wear the hats. Learn from him, but learn more about yourself and what you want to express and how you want to express it. Find out who you are and put your own spin on his music, and the music of Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King and whoever else you love. That's how Stevie Ray Vaughan did it, and that's why so many people are marking the decade he's been gone.

And I couldn't agree more.

-- Áine