I grew up listening to a lot of SRV with my dad. The blend of musical styles that is present in Stevie's playing is one of the most beautiful sounds I revisit. The classical stylings of the blues are brought to new light by the use of electric guitar with fast paced riffs that has become an important representation of the blues. The length of his musical career was extremely short, But
Stevie Ray Vaughan made some of the most important contributions to blues that lead to a resurgence of interest in the genre in the 80's when punk and other crunchier, exploratory music was in much of the spotlight. His use of vintage amps and minimal distortion effects helped to foster a clean novel style that relied heavily on skill. Some of the artists that inspired SRV include Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Muddy Waters, the Nightcaps, and Lonnie Mack, as well as many other American and British rock, blues rock, and jazz musicians.
What a weird coincidence. As you were posting, I was on the phone today with SRV's producer Jim Gaines, a Memphis friend who I brought to Saint Mike's a few years ago. If you dig Stevie, definitely check out Lonnie Mack. And you must know Vaughan's work with David Bowie on the Let's Dance album, Bowie's biggest record and a huge stepping stone for SRV at the start of his career.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the SRV songs, didn't really listen to him much but after checking him out more and listening to some of his stuff he has really grown on me.
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