SRV, RIP
MichaelW on Aug 28 2007 at 1:11 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
McQ reminds us that we lost a true legend 17 years ago today. He offers a suitable paean to guitar master, but I wanted to contribute a taste of what I think may Stevie one the best of all time. From MTV’s “Unplugged” series:
and from the American Caravan, the “Oreo Cookie Blues” (with Lonnie Mack):
Enjoy. (RIP, Stevie: October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990)
Technorati Tags: Stevie Ray Vaughn, SRV, acoustic, blues, August 27, 1990, guitar
Sphere: Related Content
I only got to see him live once, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Amazing, truly amazing.
Needless to say, Stevie Ray is a deity here in Austin. He died a few years before I got here. I never really heard more than a few of his songs prior to moving here. Yeah, he could play the guitar, but if you had monster hands like he did and did as much crank so you could spend the maximum number of hours playing alone in your room as he did, you be pretty good to.
It wasn’t until I was at a party one night and heard “Life by the Drop” on my friend’s excellent stereo that I became a fan and learned to miss him. Yeah, Stevie could play a guitar just like a ringin’ a bell, but what never seems to be grokked is that Stevie Ray Vaughn had and was an iconic voice. You can recognize his guitar playing after a couple of bars, but his voice you recognize instantly, and it’s good. Every bit as wailful and woeful as any guitar ever played.
His brother Jimmie is probably technically as good a guitar player as Stevie (okay, maybe not quite), but poor Jimmie doesn’t have his brother’s voice. Jimmie sings songs, but his brother could sing like a guitar, and he would call to his guitar, and his guitar he could make sound like a human voice, and he would answer himself.
yours/
peter.
Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of seeing Stevie in concert. I have seen plenty of concert footage however, and nothing blows me away as much as that Unplugged show. Doing what he did on the electric guitar was amazing in it’s own right, but being able to do it on an acoustic is a testament to just how strong and nimble Stevie’s hands were. Playing “Pride and Joy” on a 12-string acoustic, with all the runs, fills, and rythmic damping is simply mind-blowing. It’s a great song to listen to as well.
And, Peter, amen to SRV’s voice. Clapton’s equally underappreciated, as well. Jimi Hendrix hated his own singing voice. Curse of the guitar gods I guess.