A heartfelt apology to Mr. S. R. Vaughan

My musical background may be a bit unorthodox for a member of a guitar forum, though surely not unique. Both parents were high-school music teachers and members of the Columbus Symphony (mother: flute; father: oboe). Mom has a Ph.D. in music, Dad a Master's. Most of the music happening in the house as I was growing up was classical. By "most," I mean 99.537%, approximately. Since neither parent was much good at the piano, I took that as my instrument. There were some duets and trios here and there as a family when I was a young lad-- Tallis, mostly.

I mostly wanted to learn Beethoven, since he seemed the most manly. (I've since discovered that Bach is the most manly, but that's neither here nor there.)

There were a few oddball records in the house that I happened across once I was old enough to operate the record player. One was a set of Benny Goodman recordings on 78 that included him doing a Mozart clarinet concerto along with a bunch of his usual Swing stuff. (The poor fellow couldn't help but let a little swing leak into the Mozart, made it really interesting.) Another was a set of recordings of ancient blues and jazz music from the '20s and '30s. Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith became instant heroes to me and I was always surprised to hear that my pals didn't know "Empty Bed Blues," because that was the best tune I'd ever heard. :) I must have been 11 or 12 at the time, and had no idea what the song was actually about, but was electrified by the sound of Ms. Smith's voice. I'd never heard anything like it.

As time went on, I was exposed to contemporary popular music by my friends. I got a radio of my own with allowance money at what would now be known as a yard sale, and started listening to the hits stations. This would have been about 1969, so things were really breaking loose musically. Much of it was pop schlock, but I didn't know that and was really taken with what I heard. Joe Cocker. Mamas and Papas. Beatles. Rolling Stones. Janis. Jimi. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it, but when Grand Funk Railroad came on the scene I became a devotee. (Young people and bass; go figure: I also listened to the second movement of Beethoven's 7th about a million times because the tympani turned me on.)

Once I was working and could buy my own music, I let Bessie Smith lead me in many directions: Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Son House, that sort of thing. Sure, there was Led Zeppelin and ELO, too, but when alone I mostly wanted gritty blues with lots of tempo errors, bad tuning, and horrible singing. I don't know why. The ugliness was beautiful to me. (I'd also discovered the beauty of dissonant weirdo classical music, like Alkan and Stravinsky.) I was on the edge, baby. I was eclectic and hip. :wink:

Sometime in the mid-80's, a musician pal recommended Mr. S. R. Vaughan to me. I went to the record/CD store to have a look at what was there. Okay, so here's this Texan dude with rings and tattoos and an extremely silly hat who doesn't seem to be able to take care of his guitar-- I mean, would you look at the sorry shape it's in? Asked the guy at the store (remember when you could do this?) to play me a cut, and it just sounded like regular rock'n'roll to me. Sloppy, imitation real-blues fake uppity Texan yee-haw music. (Don't remember what the album or the song was.) Nothing like Muddy or B.B. or Buddy. I wrote Mr. Vaughan off at that moment as a flashy guitar-without-feeling blues ripoff. You know, like that Clapton fella. Winter had it, Guy had it, B. B. had it, Clapton was fake and so was this smirking Vaughan guy. Yes, that's right, I was a snob.

And there it stayed. I came to love Buddy Guy, the three Kings, Kokomo Taylor, all them cats. Mr. S. R. Vaughan? Hell no. Wannabe show-off Texan in a weird hat with a skunk tail on the back of it, can't play none, was how I thought of him.

More recently than I'd like to admit-- well, okay, we're all friends here, so I'll say it: three months ago, I was checking out blues performances on YouTube. Mr. S. R. Vaughan popped up on the right side, where the "similar" stuff goes, and I clicked on one just to justify my prejudice. I was prepared to scoff, based on previous experience.

It was this one:
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HOLY PASTA, BATMAN! I was blown away. I'd seen B. B. King five or six times, Robert Fripp (and Adrian Belew) a couple of times, Al DiMeola a couple of times, Alan Holdsworth... well, jeez, you know, big-deal guitar players. Mr. Vaughan was different. This Mr. Vaughan fellow was a conduit for the Platonic Ideal of the blues/rock style; he's not even thinking about it, it just gushes forth. He inhabits the music, and the music is him.

There have been three times during my classical piano-playing history that I disappeared. I remember each of them-- sitting on the bench, feeling a bit odd, hearing the last chord ringing as I lifted my foot from the damper. A dim awareness that I'd just been a pathway, nothing more. I'm talking about forty years or so of playing: only three times did I get out of the way and let the music happen by itself. They're sacred moments to me and I won't forget them. You can't do it on purpose. I suspect that Mr. S. R. Vaughan was in that place most of his performance life, despite all the cocaine and alcohol.

My apologies to you, Mr. Vaughan, for my bigotry. You were indeed the "real deal." I wish I'd recognized it when it was happening, instead of now when you're dead.

Sincerely,

Andy Lowry

I saw SRV in 1988 and was blown away. A major talent taken away far to early. He was the real deal.

Nice. A "from the heart" admittance owning up to a mistake. I think we've all been in your shoes before.

Our tastes and attitudes change as we grow older. Back then, you weren't ready for SRV. Now you are. Enjoy the magic and mourn his loss and what might have been.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4460410883_fe4e1993f3_o.jpg


I saw him live twice. To think what Texas music would be like today if he had lived. I'm glad you made this thread, thanks!

What stands out to me in this post is that you were somewhat embarrased to admit you like Grand Funk.

Nobody in my family was a music major. My dad played fiddle and loved bluegrass and country. He absolutely hates almost everything beyond that.

I wound up liking a lot of music I never heard growing up.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger!

Great story, by the way...

I remember an interview in Guitar Player 20-some-odd years ago of SRV by Larry Coryell. I believe it was when "In Step" came out. At one point, SRV says he is thinking about taking some lessons to really learn some theory, the fretboard, etc. Larry begged him not to do it, oddly enough.

I can admire SRV as an absolute brilliant guitarist and musician... but I rarely listen (or want to listen) to him. He just doesn't do much for me.

He is one of my biggest influences, next to EVH,Jimi,Brad Gillis,Jack White,Yngwie, and Eddie Hazel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4460410883_fe4e1993f3_o.jpg


I saw him live twice. To think what Texas music would be like today if he had lived. I'm glad you made this thread, thanks!

gotta love austin

btw this is what made me like blues:
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Head to the local bar. Listen to the recycled pentatonic white boy wanker blues licks. Curse SRV for inspiring the guitarist. Leave.

haha I like SRV, but I can't stand his wannabe clones.

Yeah, what you hear on a record and what you hear live is totally worlds apart. His records are kinda "two dimensional" but when you see him live....man he lays it all out there, an experience I'll never forget.

It's funny how a person's taste can change.

And what Telenut62 said.

His best work was ahead of him.

Saw him a bunch - both sober and utterly wasted (Meadowbrook, mid 80's).

He was on a tear right before he died - he couldn't play enough.

He played our area 5 times in the last year of his life.

The "Brothers" record is so-so but that would have been a great tour with Jimmie.

I really think he would have done some shocking/eye-opening stuff in the last 22 years.

Had he lived we would not view him as just SRV "blooze guitarist".

Nice admission to recognizing the talent. Love a number of SRV tunes as played by him. I personally like Jimmy better but thats only because he's had the opportunity to continue to grow. SRV would probably have lost the hat much as my generation have switched from flare jeans to comfort fit and dare I say it cargo shorts.

Life by the drop brings tears to my old eyes every time I hear it.

Him and Hendrix are my absolute favorites. I'm glad you finally saw the light :wink:.

I saw SRV in 1988 and was blown away. A major talent taken away far to early. He was the real deal. +1. Saw him on the "In Step" tour shortly before he died, the man could shake them strings and do everything else.

With Lonnie Mack and later with Jeff Beck.
I was so close the first time the sweat off his hair
hit me.. I was like a teenage girl at a beatles concert.

His vibrato in that video is just unreal.

...Mr. Vaughan was different. This Mr. Vaughan fellow was a conduit for the Platonic Ideal of the blues/rock style; he's not even thinking about it, it just gushes forth. He inhabits the music, and the music is him.

...I suspect that Mr. S. R. Vaughan was in that place most of his performance life, despite all the cocaine and alcohol.Yeah, that's pretty much how I see it.

The last time he toured in my area was the first time I'd heard of him. July of 1990. Saw/heard he'd been through three times in the last year, so I shrugged and figured I might bother to see him next time. There wasn't a next time, and that's my #1 missed-show regret.

Nice post. While I respect Mr. Vaughn to the core, I've never got the vibe from his music. It just don't move me. But I'm glad you can hear somethin in his music that you couldn't hear before that had an impact on you. That's what music's all about, isn't it?

Don't bother apologizing, as you noted, he's dead.

I guess you either get Stevie or you don't. I do, and I wish he were still here, no matter how it would have all turned out. Can't happen that way though, lots of others I wish we could bring back, but it doesn't work like that. Best to try and enjoy everything you experience as if it's the last time you will do it, there's no guaranteeing it won't be.

I had the pleasure of seeing SRV play 3 times.
I just want to say that his singing knocked me out as much as his playing!

I like SRV in very small doses.. It all sounds the same after two tracks.

One could describe his guitar style as "aggressive"..an in your face musical attitude that he conveyed that set him apart from others that played 12 bar Blues before him..It was the "The musical Conviction he conveyed ",.. his choice of particular notes that made him unique that made you take note.He mastered the "call & response"that typifies the 12 bar.He nailed every nuance of the style.
To some he might be boring but he was not reliant on speed and scales.He relied purely upon 1 note can say it all.In the right place at the right time.His music is a testament to the blues.As refreshing then as it is now to hear.Timeless.

I guess it says something about him as an artist that his name comes up somewhere on this forum every day nearly 22 years after he was killed .

I can admire SRV as an absolute brilliant guitarist and musician... but I rarely listen (or want to listen) to him. He just doesn't do much for me.

Me too. But like the original poster I've had my snob moments about various people.

I started playing guitar in the 60's. By the mid 80's I'd lost my musical soul and playing crap like Once, Twice, Three Times a Looser and Kenny Rogers songs. I just played and got paid.
Then I heard Stevie for the first time. Here was a guy as old as me and he was playing from the heart. I was instantly inspired. I didn't go out and learn all the SRV stuff, but I did start writing my own stuff and playing what I felt.
I left my home in Connecticut and headed west. Live in southern California for a few years, lived the blues, married a hooker and ended up homeless in a tent in Colorado.
For almost 20 years I've been in North Carolina. Still playing and still fired up.
I did get to see nSRV with Jeff Beck in LA and I'll always be grateful for that.
God bless Stevie Ray Vaughan, he changed my life.
Here's a pic from '92 during my Tubby Ray Vaughan period. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/nealdbluesman/players/1994-1.jpg

One could describe his guitar style as "aggressive"..an in your face musical attitude that he conveyed that set him apart from others that played 12 bar Blues before him..It was the "The musical Conviction he conveyed ",.. his choice of particular notes that made him unique that made you take note.He mastered the "call & response"that typifies the 12 bar.He nailed every nuance of the style.
To some he might be boring but he was not reliant on speed and scales.He relied purely upon 1 note can say it all.In the right place at the right time.His music is a testament to the blues.As refreshing then as it is now to hear.Timeless.

As my profile says I am 50. I first saw SRV on a local newsmagazine show before his breakout with David Bowie. At the time I had not listened to the Blues and Jimi was just that guy baby boomers talked about because of his Star Spangled Banner performance. But just watching the passionI just knew this was something special.

Head to the local bar. Listen to the recycled pentatonic white boy wanker blues licks. Curse SRV for inspiring the guitarist. Leave.

haha I like SRV, but I can't stand his wannabe clones.

Replace "SRV" with "EVH" and you've got the eighties in a nutshell.

I love his live stuff, not so much the studio albums, though some cuts are great.

4:46 - 4:56 on that video --- holy, holy moly

Thanks for posting this vid

Every one has thier opinions. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. SRV pushed me, among others, to pick up a guitar. I listen to alot of music new and old. Can I play like SRV? Nope but he has inspired me to pick it up to make that magic for myself. I stretch it on a daily basis. Thank you SRV, Jimi, Keef.

I remember seeing a great review for this new Blues guy in some guitar magazine, right when Texas Flood first came out. I didn't care much about the blues and nobody'd ever heard of this guy. I decided to buy the album just to see what the commotion was about and also to expand my musical horizons a bit. The minute the needle hit the groove I was blown away. I had listened to a couple of Fabulous T-birds records and I'd heard other blues guys, but this was blues like I'd never heard it. A couple of years later I saw him live in Chico Ca. and he was freaking hot that night.

The main thing I'm smiling about in your post is that anybody listening to SRV for the first time would ever think "sloppy" or "can't play none". :lol: Glad to see you've grown to appreciate his playing.

I wrote Mr. Vaughan off at that moment as a flashy guitar-without-feeling blues ripoff. You know, like that Clapton fella.



IMO, you still have one more apology to make.

(or epiphany to realize)

SRV will always be mentioned when discussing the greatest guitar players ever, because he was one of the greatest guitar players ever.

.

IMO, you still have one more apology to make.

Yep.

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SRV also had a stellar sense of humor...

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Let me dedicate this one to all our girlfriends who never understood our thing with guitars.

While my musical background parallels Mr. Lowry's, I've appreciated Stevie's music for a long time. To me, his style is more heartfelt than other certain styles of music...
God Bless Stevie Ray Vaughan.

- Nice being honest with yourself.

- I liked the beatles when they first came out in 60's, then disliked them since they got too popular..and would not listen to another stupid beatles song...switched to Donavan, STones, DaveClark5 etc took over..Everytime I mention I dont like the beatles I get the look. I do try to revisit them from time to time.

SRV was one of my earliest influences, but my tastes have evolved to some degree. I still listen to him from time to time, but it doesn't have the same effect as it once did. FWIW, when I want to listen to electric blues nowadays, my go-to guy is Junior Kimbrough.

Hey Uriah, I'm giving you the look right now!:lol:

Funny this should come up today. Last night, I dropped a DVD of two Stevie Ray performances on "Austin City Limits" in the player and we watched it.

My wife isn't from the U. S. and wasn't exposed to the blues much if at all until she met me. She was tremendously impressed with Stevie Ray's mastery of his instrument, and also noted that the Muse appeared to be upon him as he played.

When it was over, she told me, "You know, I didn't like blues when I first heard it, but you've managed to show me enough good things so now I like the blues." Afterward, I picked up my Tele and managed a somewhat passable version of SRV's cover of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

But I listen to the blues more than I play it. Although, if you listen to me playing country, sometimes you can hear a little influence from the blues creeping in there if I've been listening a lot. Every now and then I'll stray out of the major pentatonic and country composite scales or whatever I'm doing into a blues scale, and then find myself hoping that I can find a smooth, tasteful way to cross back over before things get too out of hand.

Rick

This Mr. Vaughan fellow was a conduit for the Platonic Ideal of the blues/rock style; he's not even thinking about it, it just gushes forth. He inhabits the music, and the music is him.

I suspect that Mr. S. R. Vaughan was in that place most of his performance life, despite all the cocaine and alcohol.


This is exactly how I have always tried to describe his playing. Fortunately for me I "got it" the first time I heard him in 1986.

I saw him open up for Robert Plant in '88/7th row, absolutely incredible man.
... I have a brother-in-law like you, your "snobbery" is forgiven.

:mrgreen:

S.R.V. of The Things I Used To Do. Made popular by Albert Collins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPpjRTuZ-eU

I have to admit to going through phases of loving SRV and doing my best to ignore him as much as possible.

I think the first time I ever heard of him was when Clapton was doing a radio interview in the UK and he talked about the first time he'd heard one of SRV's songs on a car radio and having to pull over to the side of the road cos he had to find out who this guy was. Being an EC fan, I always tend to pay attention to music which he says has inspired him.

So I checked out a couple of SRV albums and remember being quite impressed but not moved by it. That was until I heard him in a radio concert and that just blew me away. The intensity of the performance floored me.

I can still remember where I was when I heard the news that he'd been killed. I was really sad that I'd never got the chance to see him live.

I think it's his live performances such as the El Mocambo and Austin City Limits dvds that really highlight that intensity of performance.

I've got a couple of other dvd's of his gig but even the one from Montreux Jazz Festival isn't as intense as the El Mocambo performance.

I like SRV in very small doses.. It all sounds the same after two tracks.

really?
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S.R.V. of The Things I Used To Do. Made popular by Albert Collins.

That's a Guitar Slim song, originally.

I only have such video footage to base my impressions upon, but from all I see, SRV played like he was genuinely channeling something.
He got what he did so 'right'.
He seemingly had got to some place where it no longer apprears that he had think about it, but still somehow not playing safe and never sterile. And that he was still loving it all.
In the zone.

It's no wonder the man spawned thousands of .. impressionists.
Now, unfortunately, that's another matter entirely ..

I have "Cold Shot" on the ipod, love the vocal...and I like his playing on Bowie's "Let's Dance"..."Criminal World" etc.

But...on the whole...I'll take Johnny Winter...

Much as with John Mayer, he doesn't do a thing for me, pas du tout. But, he certainly does have a following.