Vaughan originally intended to play the drums, but when his brother gave him a guitar for his eighth birthday, everything changed. Jimmie taught Vaughan the basic chords, and from there, Vaughan taught himself everything else. Never learning to read sheet music, Vaughan played by ear, intuitively feeling, learning, and changing the music until it sounded right. By the young age of thirteen, Vaughan was already playing the blues club circuit alongside many of his childhood idols. By his mid-teens, Vaughan was thoroughly convinced music was his calling, and he lost no time dropping out of Justin F Kimball High School and moving to Austin to make his dream a reality. Before long, Vaughan’s youth and talent generated a buzz. In particular, he attracted guitarist Johnny Winter and club owner Clifford Atone.
With the help of Atone and Winter, Vaughan went through a series of bands, the first being Paul Ray and the Cobras. They mainly played the blues club scene, but they did make it into the studio to record several singles. When they eventually disbanded, Vaughan formed a band entitled Triple Threat. The members included Jackie Newhouse, Chris Layton, Lou Ann Barton, and Johnny Reno. Both Barton and Reno left in the late 1970s, and the remaining musicians reinvented themselves as Double Trouble.
After several more member changes, Double Trouble became a highly popular act throughout Austin. They impressed many, including influential musicians Jackson Browne and David Bowie. Browne recorded Double Trouble’s first album, Texas Flood. Gaining additional exposure, Bowie featured Vaughan on his album Let’s Dance in 1983. Bowie was so impressed by Vaughan he even extended an offer to tour with him, but Vaughan eventually declined, opting to focus on his own band. Texas Flood featured the hit single "Pride and Joy," and backed by that single’s success and Grammy nominations, the album reached gold status.
The band released three other successful albums: Couldn’t Stand the Weather, Soul to Soul, and In Step. Between their third and fourth studio albums, Vaughan underwent rehabilitation for a cocaine and alcohol addiction. He returned sober and with a renewed dedication to his music. Consequently, their fourth album was widely praised as innovative and original as their first. Vaughan and his band took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Proving in high demand, Vaughan toured with well-known musician Jeff Beck in 1989. His career was at an undisputed high point. On August 25 and 26, Vaughan and his band performed in Wisconsin, with Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray. After the concert, the band was scheduled to return to Chicago by bus, but a helicopter with several of Clapton’s crew members had one seat left. Vaughan requested the seat.
On August 27, 1990, the helicopter departed in poor weather conditions and crashed just several minutes after takeoff. The passengers died on impact. After the remains were found and an investigation was performed, the cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error.
Vaughan left behind a legacy of highly original and soulful blues music, including his own rearrangements of well-known Jimi Hendrix hits.
Vaughan married Lenora Darlene Bailey on December 20, 1979, and the couple divorced in 1988. They had no children together.
YUDDY
