Texan guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) was the great electric blues sensation of the 1980s. From his marvelous ’59 Fender Stratocaster, he extracted the essence of the great black blues guitarists and the fierceness and virtuosity of his idol Jimi Hendrix, although he also showed excellent gifts for jazz instrumentals, especially in his own brilliant compositions. With only four studio albums, his untimely death at age 35 made him a legend of Tejano and blues music of all time.
On July 17, 1982, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were filmed playing a show at the Continental Club in Austin, TX. The following year, Vaughan’s manager gives the tape to Mick Jagger, allowing the band to perform a private performance at a Rolling Stones party at New York’s Danceteria on April 22, 1983.
Shortly after that, the band made the biggest show of their career when they played at the Montreux International Jazz Festival (in Switzerland), being the first unscheduled band to play at this recital. They were whistled, but ironically they won a Grammy Award for the cover of “Texas Flood” at that recital, leading to one of Vaughan’s most incredible live albums: Live At Montreux.
Otis Gibbs, alt-country singer-songwriter and podcaster who has independently released several albums since 2002, shared the story of how Mick Jagger enjoyed the show during the party. It was a crazy evening and Jagger instantly loved SRV.
Keep going for the video below: