Stevie Ray Vaughan - Tightrope

This is a live performance by Texan blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan playing the song "Tightrope". The performance is from the TV-programme "Austin City Limits" where Stevie Ray Vaughan appeared in 1989. The performance has been released on a DVD which also contains SRV's performance from the same show in 1983.
The song "Tightrope" is from the fourth and final studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble. The album was made and released after Stevie Ray Vaughan got clean and the positive vibe of sobriety shines through on every track of this life embracingly beautiful album. The song is credited to Stevie Ray Vaughan and singer-songwriter Doyle Bramhall.
It's a great song with a very unique and positive vibe. The lyrics are really good too, because the imagery throughout the song is really good and well written.
A great song by one of the best guitarists.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan & The Night Music Band - Sailin' Shoes

This is a live performance by Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Sunday Night Music Band lead by saxofonist David Sanborn. Stevie was a guest performer on the show.
The song was originally written by Lowell George for the band "Little Feet". The song appeared on the band's 1972 album also titled "Sailin' Shoes". The song has also been done by Robert Palmer on his 1974 debut album as a solo artist.
It's a great little performance and Vaughan does a really good solo on it. A video definitely worth checking out.

Enjoy ; )

Katie Webster - I'm Bad

This is a live performance by blues legend Katie Webster performing her song "I'm Bad" live in the 90's, the performance is from Tromsø in Norway.
Katie Webster is known as a prominent artist within the boogie-woogie and swamp blues genres.
I actually only recently discovered who Katie was. She is not one of the most well known people and by that I mean that if you're just getting into blues you'll discover her, but not at first. I discovered her from the SRV album "Solos, Sessions & Encores" where Stevie plays guitar on one of Katie's songs at a live show. It's a great album and I highly recommend it. And if you're a fan of blues it'll probably introduce you to a couple of new artists.
The studio version of this song appears on Webster's 1991 album "No Foolin'!". There's no doubt that the song's lyrics borrow heavily from other blues songs, such as: Mannish Boy, I'm in the Mood and I'm Bad Like Jesse James. It's sort of Katie's own take on all of these classics showing them appreciation and doing her own thing with it.
It's a great performance. The only thing that sort of spoil it a little is the fact that an announcer speaks over the last part of the song. It's a TV recording, but still it's a shame. A great performance though!

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan & W.C. Clark - Insturmental Jam

This is a performance video by Stevie Ray Vaughan that I only recently discovered. It features Stevie Ray Vaughan and fellow Texan musician W.C. Clark on the bass. As the song is an instrumental jam there is no song title.
W.C. Clark is a Texan blues, funk and jazz musician. He plays both guitar and bass. He first learned the guitar at around age fourteen and then moved on to playing bass. In the 1970's he formed a band called "Triple Threat Revue" where he played with Lou Ann Barton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He played in many bands in this period and also played with Stevie's brother Jimmie Vaughan in another band.
This instrumental jam is a true gem among SRV fans. It's really great to hear how well he fits in with the whole funk thing. Also his soloing and rhythm playing on this is spot on perfect. I know they probably rehearsed this prior to the performance, or more correctly, I'm assuming that, but who knows maybe it really is all improvised. All I know is that it is a really good performance and Stevie's abilities as a guitarist really shine through.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Love Struck Baby & Rude Mood

This is a live performance by Texan blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan playing two of his classic songs live on stage: "Love Struck Baby" and "Rude Mood".
I already previously posted these songs, but in different versions. Click here for "Love Struck Baby" and click here for the video to "Hideaway & Rude Mood". On the performance of "Hideaway & Rude Mood" from Montreux Stevie doesn't play "Rude Mood" in its entirety, instead he switches back into "Hideaway". On this performance he plays the entire instrumental piece which I think justifies reposting it.
The performance is from Daytona Beach in 1987. And the performance has been released on the DVD "Boogie With Stevie".
You can read more info on the songs by clicking the links to the previous posts and read about them.

Enjoy ; )

Howlin' Wolf - Love Me Darlin' (Stevie Ray Vaughan)

These are both live performances of the classic Howlin' Wolf song "Love Me Darlin'". The top video is a performance by Wolf who also wrote the song. The performance is from 1964 and next to Howlin' Wolf performing we have Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim on piano, Willie Dixon on bass and Clifton James on drums.
Stevie Ray Vaughan covered the song in the studio on his 1989 release "In Step". I love his take on the song. This was Stevie's last album with Double Trouble. It sticks to the original, but brings something to it at the same time. And that was Stevie's expertise: interoperating classic blues songs and adding his own thing to them.
I love both versions of this song, but I'm such a big SRV fan that I might like Vaughan's version a little better. But both versions are definitely worth listening to.

Enjoy ; )

The Fabulous Thunderbirds & Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Crawl

This is a live performance by Texan blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds, the performance is from 1984.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds was the group that Stevie's brother Jimmie Vaughan played in from its formation in 1976 to 1989. Jimmie left the group to play in a duo with his brother, but these plans were foiled by Stevie's unfortunate death in 1990. After that the band has gone through a huge number of line-up changes.
This is a great song. There's a lot of influence from surf guitar on this definitely a lot of Dick Dale in the sound of it. Also love the musical breaks on it that includes the audience and the part where they play the guitars on their backs. Also Stevie is playing a Telecaster. I think this is the first time I've ever seen him do that. I've seen him play guitars with humbucker pick ups on rare occasions, but never a Telecaster. So it's a first. It's a great song and great solos from both Stevie and Jimmie.

Enjoy ; )

Carlos Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, Cesar Rosas & Stevie Ray Vaughan Jam at Costa Mesa

This is a live performance by a big group of guitarists doing a jam. The live performance is presumably from Costa Mesa in California. I haven't been able to find a song title, so I assume they're just jamming.
It starts off with Carlos Santana doing a solo. Then it goes over to Los Lobos lead guitarist Cesar Rosas who do an aggressive, but very good solo. Then it goes to the highlight of the performance which is Jimmie Vaughan's solo. He really plays it slow and with a lot of feeling. It's fun because you'd think that he'd be out of his element with this latin/jazz thing, but his playing fits right in. It's very soulful and very impressive.
At the end Stevie starts a solo, but the clip cuts off before he finishes. I assume the tape must have run out or something since I haven't been able to find the full performance including Stevie's entire solo.
It's a little sad, but on this particular performance it didn't seem like he could outdo his brother any way. Jimmie's playing is just amazing on this.
A great jam session with some of the best guitarists ever.

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moore - Still Got the Blues (In Loving Memory of Gary Moore)

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Gary Moore playing what is probably known as his signature song, or at least his most well known song of his solo career.
As I just recently found out, Gary Moore has passed. He died in a hotel room during a vacation at the age of 58. The specific date has been dated to the early hours of 6 February. The reason I'm just posting about it now is that I just recently found out. It hasn't gotten a lot of media attention which is a little sad, because he was a great guitarist in both rock and blues and hugely successful (at least in Europe). I haven't seen a lot of media coverage in neither the American media or the European media which is why I'm a little delayed with this.
I think it is tragic in that he died at age 58 in what seems to be a sudden death. And we know that he was still making music. His latest record was released in 2008 and he seemed to still be energetic and have plenty of music left in him. And that's the sad part, all of that beautiful, soulful and rocking music we'll be missing out on.
I also always felt that Gary never got the full recognition he deserved. I mean he was somewhat well known as a blues and rock guitarist and as an influence on a lot of people spanning a broad spectrum of genres, but he never really got enough recognition. He was never really placed in the same league as Clapton, SRV and Hendrix. And in my book he ranks right up there with them. I know you should never rank guitarist, and I'm not comparing them, but Gary deserved a broader audience and he deserved to be one of those guys who everyone knows, and I don't think he is. And that's sad.
What we can do now is simply try and remember all of the beautiful music Gary has brought us. He brought us everything from hard rock to slow blues and he did it in his own style. And that's quite an accomplishment in my book. I mean he can play rock guitar and still also play blues in his own style with the same amount of feeling as the greats.

Below are a list of links to previous posts I posted featuring Gary Moore. Remember: The best memory is one's music, so click them and remember Gary for all the good music he brought.
Gary Moore - Don't Believe a Word
Gary Moore - The Stumble
Gary Moore - Dust My Broom
Gary Moore and Albert King - Stormy Monday

Gary Moore you will be missed.
R.I.P.

Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan - Frosty

This is a live performance from a trio of blues guitarists who are all legends in their own right, but together they equal one hell of a performance! The trio consists of Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan and his brother Stevie Ray Vaughan.
They play the classic Albert Collins song "Frosty". This instrumental was one of Collins' hugely successful instrumental pieces. And it was recorded around 1958 at the beginning of Collins' recording career.
Collins is famous for his use of open minor tunings combined with the use of a capo on the guitar. This technique is credited by Collins to his cousin Willow Young. Collins was also famous for his entertainment skills and showmanship. He would often, as he also does in this clip, get up close and personal with his audience. He also very often continued playing through the PA system after he left the building. One time he left the stage, continued playing, went to a pizza place, ordered a pizza and several minutes after he returned onto the stage have it delivered on stage. A great player indeed.
I really think this is a great performance. It cuts straight into Stevie doing a solo, then goes onto his brother Jimmie Vaughan doing a solo and then for a large part of the video Collins is soloing. He is soloing for the longest time and it shows respect that the Vaughan Brothers stepped back and let Collins take the stage for the biggest part of the performance. Another funny thing is that Jimmie is actually playing one of Stevie's guitars. He is playing Stevie's "Charley Stratocaster", a custom built guitar given to Stevie by Charley Wirz. (You can tell from the slight difference in body-shape and the lipstick pick-ups.
It's a great performance from three blues legends. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

Steve Vai - Jibboom

This is a performance by guitarist Steve Vai playing something a little more bluesy and outside his comfort-zone. The song appears on Vai's 1999 album "The Ultra Zone".
On the album Vai mentions that this track is an homage to blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. And you can definitely hear the resemblance, it's a classic blues progression that sort of is a take-off/sounds similar to songs recorded by SRV song like Scuttle Buttin', Mary Had a Little Lamb and Testify. It's an homage and it's own original thing, but the general feel and groove of the song is similar to many SRV songs.
Steve Vai recently said in a video posted on his official youtube channel that blues is outside his comfort-zone. He jokingly says that he plays blues within the comforts of his own home which is a pretty funny thing to say. (I've embeded the video below, he also shares some very good practice-techniques for guitar)

I really love how long this performance is. It starts out with the basic song, and then goes into Vai soloing. Then it turns into a "call and response" sort of thing between Vai and the bassist which is just awesome. The bassist really does an amazing job, and the two performers play to well together and interact so well on stage. At the end Vai goes into a Hendrix style guitar thing, making sounds by using the whammy bar, the natural harmonics and the control knobs to really make the guitar scream.
This is an awesome performance and awesome showmanship. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Testify

This is a live performance from blues guitarist extraordinaire Stevie Ray Vaughan playing the instrumental song Testify live from the El Mocambo venue in Canada.
The song originally consisted of two different recordings of the same song, but with different lyrics. They have been dubbed the names Testify Parts I and II. The song was recorded by The Isley Brothers in 1964 who at this time had Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Embeded below is a short clip of the original recording (or at least one of the original recordings with Hendrix on guitar). It sounds different and has lyrics, but you can recognize the riff that Stevie did a take-off on.

Stevie's version was released on the 1983 album Texas Flood and it was the fifth track on this record. It starts out with a stand-alone guitar riff and on the 7th bar the bass and drums kick in and play with the guitar for the rest of the song.
I think it's a very good song, and without Hendrix's version we wouldn't have had Stevie's. Hendrix just seems a bit like he's holding back, he was playing with a group and hadn't branched out as a solo artist at this point. Remember we were still four years away from Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), but he definitely shines on this as well. Stevie's version just sort of became the famous one, and is in my opinion the superior version.
Especially from The El Mocambo gig which is one of the best gigs ever recorded. It's so good, and if the DVD "Live at The El Mocambo" isn't in your collection, it ought to be!!

Enjoy ; )

George Harrison ft. Eric Clapton - Taxman (SRV)

This is a live performance from George Harrison, joining him on stage is his good friend Eric Clapton. Clapton is very respectful and doesn't steal the show, he respectfully stays in the background and plays the lead part when needed.
The song Taxman was released by The Beatles on their 1966 album Revolver, it is the opening track on the album. The song is written by George and it is about the high progressive tax the British government was taking at this time. It was basically written after Harrison found out how much of his income was being taken by "the taxman". On the record version the solo and guitar parts are played by Paul McCartney, he also plays the bass on the track.
Click here for a sample from the album version of the song. (Taken from Wikipedia.)
This live version is really good, and Clapton does a really good job. However I've always more leaned towards Stevie Ray Vaughan's interpretation of the song. It is very different from the original, and it doesn't even have the same key-centre. The original version by Harrison is in G, and SRV's version is in B♯. I think it just sounds better and is played with more attitude (and also in a humorous way). The original version has that 60's mercy beat sound, and SRV's version is more bluesy and done in a Texas style which is more my flavour. SRV never got to perform it live, and it has only been released on his 1995 Greatest Hits album (as the only never before released track). Both versions are excellent, I just prefer Stevie's which is embeded beneath.


Enjoy both versions!! ;-)

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Lonnie Mack - Double Whammy

This is a performance by Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan joining him on stage is guitarist Lonnie Mack who is famous among guitarists for introducing a new kind of playing that influenced a lot of people. He is considered one of the first blues rock performers, and performed many instrumentals, including this one. The original title of the song was simply "Wham", but when played and recorded on Mack's "Strike Like Lightning" album featuring SRV they changed the title.
Lonnie also named the whammy bar on the guitar, before it was known as a tremolo bar, but this recording panned the American term "whammy bar" instead.
Stevie had been playing Lonnie Mack's stuff since the very early days of his learning. He plays it on the "Live at The El Mocambo" DVD, and quotes it as the first record he ever owned.
Stevie and Lonnie became close friends, and the generation gap wasn't a problem. Lonnie has said that Stevie was a mature soul. Also when Lonnie got ill Stevie and the band helped him out by helping to pay his medical bills, and Tommy Shannon and Stevie personally installed an air-condition system in Lonnie's house.
It's a good performance, but you can tell that Stevie is holding back, just a bit, like he always did playing with his heroes. I personally prefer the version from El Mocambo, it's a little faster, and Stevie plays it to the max. But any ways, it's a great performance of a great instrumental from the mind of Lonnie Mack.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love

This is a live performance by legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He performs his classic song "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love", and does an excellent job. The song was originally released on Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's album "Soul to Soul" from 1985. This album is definitely one of Stevie's most soulful albums, the Hammond B3s and the wah-wah pedal compared to earlier releases. This song is an example of a soulful slow blues song in the style of SRV, and it just sounds amazing.
It's a really good performance, and you can really tell that he's really feeling it. There's a little introduction where they're getting ready, and then as fast as the snap of a finger Stevie's in blues mode, just feelin' it 100 %, impressive. He's soulful and amazing, and truly one of the best, if not the best blues guitarist ever.

Enjoy ; )

Jimmie Vaughan - Tick Tock

This is a performance by Jimmie Vaughan and a bunch of other artists. It's from the Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial concert commemorating the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan on August 27th 1990.
There were many artists present at the concert, and Jimmie sort of controlled the jam on a lot of the performances, and also starts off this performance. Present were: Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Art Neville & Double Trouble.
The song is from the album Family Style by The Vaughan Brothers. It was the last album Stevie did, and he had always wanted to do a collaborative album with his brother.
This song sticks out as different, as it is about the world joining hands in peace, and in that sense a very beautiful blues ballad. In this performance the song is sung by a choir which helps give it a certain atmosphere.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Hug You, Squeeze You

This is a live performance by blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He performs the song "Hug You, Squeeze You", an up beat happy blues song.
The song is a take off, or maybe even a cover of a John Lee Hooker song that at least have very similar lyrics. The John Lee Hooker version is simply titled "I Want To Hug You".
This is a song that Stevie didn't perform very often, and it's also in a key that Stevie didn't use very much. It's played in the key of E. As most people who are fans of Stevie probably know, he tuned his guitar down one half step. This means that the key you get when playing a straight forward shuffle blues starting on the lowest string is in the key of Eb. Stevie basically forms what on a regularly tuned guitar would be an F chord, and takes it from there. So this is one of those rare occasions where Stevie is playing in the key of E on a guitar tuned in the key of Eb essentially. I think this is the only song where he does this, but I'm not sure.
Any ways, it gives the song and performance a unique sound.
It's a great performance, and a great song.

Enjoy ; )

David Bowie - Let's Dance

This is a music video for the title track of Bowie's album "Let's Dance" released in 1983, and digitally re-mastered in 1999.
This is a great album by Bowie, it experiments with many different genres of music, it has a lot of funk influences, but also draws on more traditional rock and blues, and of course also the pop sound of the times.
The album is also famous for helping blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan getting discovered. Bowie had heard Stevie's 1982 Montreux performance, and was impressed. They met up backstage and chatted, and it turned out they were in to some of the same weird things musically. Bowie admired Stevies sound, and hired him to play lead guitar on his next album which was "Let's Dance".
Stevie only plays lead guitar, the rhythm guitar on the album is Nile Rodgers. And Stevie's lead playing is very toned down, and not a huge part of the album, but still helps increase the sound and the experience.
The album cut of the song Let's Dance is 7:37, much shorter than what is used in the music video which I assume is also the radio edit of the song. They still left in all of Stevie's parts however which shows how much his lead playing helped the album.
Stevie was also offered a spot in David's live band that was going to tour for the album, but he turned it down, and went onto recording his first solo record with Double Trouble "Texas Flood", and got the massive career in the 80's.
It's a great song, and a pretty good looking music video for the times. Stevie isn't in the video, and Bowie pretends to play a Stratocaster looking guitar while wearing white gloves, perhaps a nod to Stevie and the fact that no one could play like him, who knows? Or maybe just David being odd.

Enjoy ; )

Repost: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Love Struck Baby

 I posted a version of this song before. It was the version where Stevie plays the song live with Colin James. That video has been taken down from youtube, so I thought I'd post another version of the song. (click here for previous posted entry)
This version is from 1987 in New Orleans. It's a great version of the song. It's an extended version in terms of musical improvisation. There's a piano solo by Reese Wynans, and then after that Stevie goes into a guitar solo. He pretty much does the standard version of the solo, but adds a lot of new things to it. Of course he shows off and puts the guitar behind his head and keeps playing. And after that he just extends the solo even more.
It's one of those performances where Stevie was just feeling it, and started playing new stuff on the spot. I love both versions of this, but since the old version has been taken down from youtube, I'd say this is at least as good. Though you can't really judge performances like that.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime)

This is a performance by blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He performs the song "I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime). A performance of this is featured on the classic live album "Live Alive" bye Stevie Ray Vaughan. It's a live record that boasts a lot of different types of material. Vaughan draws in all of his influences, performing rather contemporary tracks such as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Hendrix and "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, but also includes a lot of the old school blues feel.
This is one of those old school songs. The performance is simple, pretty much repeating the same little riff over the entire progression, and adding pauses where Stevie just gets to sing. It's really a performance that shows how good a singer Stevie truly is. He does a small guitar solo, but nothing fancy or flashy, and then ends it with a simple take on a turn around lick. It's just classic old school blues. This performance is inspired bye Howlin' Wolf, and Stevie definitely does him justice. It's just a great performance.

Enjoy ; )