He was amazing to watch. Ill cover his parts, and we can rehearse without him, but youve got to leave him alone., He planned to go to Muddys funeral, but he was really having a hard time with drugs and couldnt get it together. Layton: We were in New York doing stuff around the Epic deal and suddenly got word that Stevies off the tour and were going back to Texas. You certainly dont hold everything up when everybody is downstairs getting ready to go to Brussels to do the first gig because you want to renegotiate your contract. [7] The tour included a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall and featured many special guests including the Roomful of Blues horn section, Dr. John, Jimmie Vaughan, Angela Strehli, and George Rains. Hey, this setlist was played at a festival: Use this setlist for your event review and get all updates automatically! It wasnt really the way things went, but it was the right way for his career to be spun. Carmine Rojas, bassist on Lets Dance: There was talk about getting Albert King to play on Lets Dance, because David was a genius at putting opposite forces at work and understanding what would work brilliantly. For his part, Stevie was voted Best New Talent and Best Electric Blues Guitarist in a 1983 reader's poll by Guitar Player Magazine. He was not about to blow that off to play on Davids tour. Although the bands touring schedule slackened slightly, Vaughan performed many concerts in 1988, including opening for the Robert Plant tour, a headlining gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a European tour and he still found time to record his fourth album. The morale was really strong and got better every day. How is he going to get from the arena to the club? [32] Following a month-long series of performances as the opening act for Robert Plant in May, which included six sold-out shows in Canada and the northeastern US, the band was booked for a European leg that began in the Netherlands on June 19, 1988. I saw Stevie when he came back from the Bowie thing, which blew my mind. Stevie was looking at a heavy commitment to Bowie, and interest in the tapes would have reminded him of where his heart lay and what he always wanted: to have his own band. And I dont wanna be here and all that stuff, but once I started paying attention to what was going on in treatment -- to the recovery -- its been something that Ive really wanted ever since.. to track your favorite artists and never miss them live. Holy smokes, I cant even write him a dummy chart where you just get G, A, D. My job is just to make every guitarist sound great, and I got along with all of them. Chesley felt like Stevie had really helped relaunch Bowies career and they were disrespecting him, treating him just like another sideman. Rojas: Rehearsals went great because Carlos is one of the best on the planet. Although Vaughan and Double Trouble did not follow a set list, all thirteen songs from Live Alive were performed at least once during the tour, and as many as eleven of them were included in each of the band's performances. It was pure greatness, a bolt of lightning screaming, Im here! And you kept hearing it everywhere you went. For most of his adult life, Vaughan battled dual addictions to hard drugs and alcohol. That was his approach to life. At the end of the section, theres a chord change, and he lands on the wrong note, so it sounded a little dissonant. Stevie called me and said, We need some real barbecue here. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Chronological Timeline. I like the blues that we put on there, but the other songs were actually songs and not 12-bar blues. In 1975, Vaughan and a few others formed Triple Threat. The rest of the time he was playing music, jumping in-and-out of various bands that had semi-regular gigs in the Austin area. The title song was a number-one hit around the world, and for the first time, Bowie became an international superstar commensurate with his critical acclaim and influence. Vaughan was as much a fan of blues history as he was a part of it. He was going to remain true to the blues, and we were going to work with him. There was a part of the show where Stevie was supposed to walk down a ramp, and they wanted him to do these choreographed moves, but hed walk exactly the same normal way every time. His four main studio albums were critical and commercial successes, rising high on the music charts and paving the way to sold-out stadium shows across the country. When they played the record in Texas, the DJs would always say, And hes our own. We played it in the control room, looked at each other and winced, and I said, Lets fix that. But David said, No. Hearing that sound on the radio was real cool. And when I started to try again it was like I'd write part of a line or one line and go blank. was released on April 14, 1983, and became Bowies first platinum studio album in the United States. And then Stevie was told that he couldnt mention his own band or music in interviews. Although Vaughan was nervous about performing while sober, he received encouragement from his bandmates. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Stevie Ray Vaughan In Step Tour T-Shirt Reprint Style T-shirt at the best online prices at eBay! I did a really nice phone interview with Stevie, then he said, I gotta run. Craig Hopkins, author of Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day By Day, Night After Night, contributed to this article. We think he was wise to reconsider. Whiskey, beer, vodka, whatever was handy. May 23 1988 Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble Setlist at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, USA Edit setlist Tour: Live Alive Tour statistics Add setlist Setlist Dust My Blues ( Elmore James cover) Love Struck Baby Look at Little Sister ( Hank Ballard cover) You'll Be Mine ( Howlin' Wolf cover) Mary Had a Little Lamb ( Buddy Guy cover) Texas Flood A young Stevie is on the stage. Bowies wearing white linen gloves, and Stevie said, That motherfucker shouldnt be pretending to be playing shit he wasnt playing! He couldnt understand why Bowie would do that. [11] However, Vaughan's drug and alcohol habits continued to escalate. When they played the record in Texas, the DJs would always say, And hes our own Stevie Ray Vaughan. For me, it was such a proud moment. In 1982 the band played the Montreux Jazz Festival and their performance caught the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. I remember wondering how it was possible for this guy to play for an hour and not miss a note. [15] According to biographer Craig Hopkins, his lifestyle of substance abuse was "probably better characterized as the bottom of a deep chasm. Inspired by his older brother Jimmie's guitar playing, Vaughn picked up his first guitar at the age of 10, a plastic Sears toy that he loved to strum. If you go to somebodys house, you dont put your feet on the table. He had all these last-minute negotiations. So I quit writing. well before it was released. Blackbird moved to Austin and after a few more stints in various bands Vaughan joined Paul Ray and the Cobras in 1975. He said, Well, thats not a bad idea. Expecting Stevie to get back in a milk truck after that run with Bowie seemed ridiculous, so we thought that wed better up the ante and try for salvation. Vaughan flew to New York in early January to join Bowie and producer Nile Rodgers at the Power Station studio. You've got to respect a guy for that. Instead of ordering that days lunch, he ordered the next days lunch for all of us: amazing barbecue expressed from Austin. Alomar: Lenny disrupted things, but I think it was more of a buildup than one incident. "[44] After their divorce became final, Vaughan and Double Trouble began performing new songs during the final leg of the tour, and began rehearsing for their next studio project in October 1988. Who is going to pull him out of the rhythm and schedule of the big tour? But lacking any kind of academic drive, Vaughn struggled to stay in school. Finally, following a collapse while on tour in Europe in 1986, the guitarist checked himself into rehab. The 1982 show is essentially the show that got his career started. Well into his junior year, Vaughan had already played with several garage bands. What that really meant to him is hard to say, but some of that could have started with things he said about growing up, being a scrawny little kid, pushed around a lot. "[14], During the late night hours of September 28, Vaughan became ill after a performance in Germany. All rights reserved. Musician Stevie Ray Vaughn was born on October 3, 1954, in Dallas, Texas. Shannon: There werent many people except us telling him that hed made the right decision. An excerpt from upcoming Vaughan oral biography 'Texas Flood' details the blues guitar legend's inspired collaboration, and eventual rift, with a rock icon. So Bowie came to me and said, Im having problems. My reply to that is always the same: never create a problem where there is no problem. He made the most incredible sounds and was the sweetest guy. Send Us Feedback | Privacy Policy/Your Privacy Rights | Terms and Conditions | Why Music Matters, Texas Flood (30th Anniversary Legacy Edition), Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Couldnt Stand the Weather (Legacy Edition), The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan Park Officially Opens In Cockrell Hill, Texas, Stevie Ray Vaughan Park Opening April 22 In Cockrell Hill, Texas, Watch Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan: Brothers in Blues Documentary. Who is going to pull him out of the rhythm and schedule of the big tour? [49] They also performed covers including The Isley Brothers' "Testify", Larry Davis' "Texas Flood", Jimmy Reid's "Tin Pan Alley", Lonnie Mack's "Wham! Stevie gravitated towards the more urban guys: me, Carlos, Tony Thompson [drums], and Lenny Pickett [sax], because thats who he was. What if Bowie is traveling on an off day and youre trying to play a club in the last city? I thought it was amazing to have a real blues player. Lenny. He would follow where he felt the crowd was. Paul Shaffer, bandleader, Late Night with David Letterman: There was a lot of excitement surrounding Stevie and a lot of people from MTV were there to see him play. Eric Clapton, guitar legend: I was driving, and Lets Dance came on the radio. He thought he should be paid more than a backup singer. Vaughan bridged the gap between blues and rock like no other artist had since the late 60s. The first five legs alternated with visits between the United States and Canada, before the sixth leg took the band to Europe. During the set, the band frequently included their arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". Almost three weeks of the European tour were cancelled while Vaughan successfully rehabilitated back in the States. Mullen: I gave Stevie two tracks to work with, and he would cut the vocal part for each song twice. Freddie Mercurys Exquisite Clutter Up for Sale, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Stevie Ray Vaughn, Birth Year: 1954, Birth date: October 3, 1954, Birth State: Texas, Birth City: Dallas, Birth Country: United States. Carlos would just take over, and we worked around it. [9] The band followed with a tour in Australia and New Zealand, performing two shows at the Sydney Opera House, then concluded with a final leg in North America.[10]. I'm Cryin'. And how are you going to take care of Stevies band and crew 24-7? I have my own band and our own record., Stevie said, They wanted to try and control what I could say or not say about the record and about me. Thats really crossing a line with Stevie Ray Vaughan, so he wanted to have a talk with David, and he was told David was on an island and couldnt be reached. Stevie and the Bowie band convened for rehearsals in Las Colinas, Texas, near Dallas in late April 1983. [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=3b8608b8&step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/stevie-ray-vaughan-and-double-trouble-43d6bbc7.html]More Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble setlists[/url]. Recalls [Double Trouble drummer Chris] Layton, The phone rang at three in the morning, and this quiet English voice said, Is Stevie Vaughan there? I said, Damn, who is this? This is David Bowie. Im thinking, You mean, the Thin White Duke? Tommy, Cutter, and I conference-called Chesley [Millikin, Vaughans manager] to discuss this, and he said gruffly, Dont bother me! I was amazed that someone else had nailed something that seemed to be in the past, that I thought Id never experience again. [5] He was an apt pupil, no less quick to learn than his brother, and was playing the guitar with striking virtuosity by the time he was fourteen. How is he going to get from the arena to the club? He hardballed the wrong people, and they werent having it. We knew it! Stevie was up right on top of the speakers to hear every little pop. is a word, but it doesnt tell you everything. This page is not available in other languages. "[48] Once the encores began, Vaughan and Double Trouble often performed original material such as "Love Struck Baby", "Rude Mood", and "Pride and Joy". Four-time Grammy winner and Austin native Gary Clark Jr. has been added to the performers lineup for the 2023 CMT Music Awards. The tour included a performance on Austin City Limits, which was broadcast for PBS on February 28, 1984. His performance, which included a lot of Hendrix, was explosive. I remember thinking, I just hope this all works., Stevie and producer John Hammond, who signed him to Epic Records. It was something he continued to work on, something he was intensely proud of and something he wished to share with the world. It was amazing! Bowies Serious Moonlight tour, which would kick off May 18 in Brussels, Belgium, and end in December in Hong Kong was set to be a huge sensation. [24] However, he received encouragement from his bandmates. He heard that style of guitar on some of these songs from the start. It went from that to us not having any alcohol backstage and none of those people came backstage anymoreWe cleaned up our business. Late in the set, big brother Jimmie joined him for a rocking version of Freddie King's "Goin' Down." In January 1985, Vaughan and Double Trouble went on their first tour of Japan. The following excerpt, an abridged version of a chapter entitled Serious Moonlight, delves deep into Vaughans short-lived collaboration with David Bowie on the 1983 album Lets Danceand a planned tour that never came to be. August 5, 2019. Thats like cold blackmail, and its just bad management skills, but I never place things on management because the artist knows everything. I was astounded. Wynans had previously been a member of Delbert McClinton's band and had also played with Jerry Jeff Walker. For the next year, Vaughan largely stayed away from the high-powered music scene that had dominated his life over the last half decade. It was in may or June of 1990 at Louisville gardens. Necessity is the mother of invention, and we needed to get those recordings exposed. Bailing out when he did was scandalous, but Stevie couldnt do what he couldnt put his heart into. I said, Im really sorry for your loss. Its just a devastating, landmark moment in recorded history.