And, he couldn't read music. He tried to learn, but stopped and just played from his heart and soul. He was the best blues guitarist of all times. Period. RIP
It would be like putting training wheels on a bike for a kid that could already ride. It's a tool for the rest of us that don't have musical instincts that the prodigies do. Music makes sense to them early on the same way that spoken language does for kids at an early age. They don't need to learn to read music we need to learn to read music. The only deficiency they have is if they have to play something they haven't played for a long time. The Edge of U2 used to have somebody play his own music back to him in his presence to remind him of how to play certain songs. Beyond that sheet music and music theory might actually hinder their creativity if they took the time to study those things. Like they say if it ain't broke don't fix it.
That’s how I play man. I’m 26 years old & have never knew how to read the music. I just feel it & it takes a lot of work and dedication lol. I’ve been playing for about 12 years.
@@fifthbusiness1678 I respect your post as I agree that there are a lot of great blues musicians, because I've been a blues fan for most of my life and am a huge fan of many past and present. But I admit to being a Stevie Ray fan above all, maybe more so influenced that way since he was so tragically killed barely 30 miles from where I lived then. So, to me, he will always be the GOAT.
In an interview with Eric Clapton still on you tube he talks about seeing SRV for the first time live where SRV was warming up for him at a gig in London. After watching SRV for a single song he went back stage and began a full on panic. He didn't feel he could follow SRV and genuinely had to pull himself together to get on stage. The interviewer chuckles when Eric made the comment. Eric stopped him and said, there wasn't anything funny about it. Eric described SRV, not as a guitar player...but "as an open channel to heaven"
This is a true story but I think this happened with Hendrix instead of SRV. I think the first time Clapton heard SRV he was driving and had to pull over.
This guitar is literally part of his body. From his brain , reaches down his arms, through his hands, straight into those strings. He renders you speechless. Ain't nobody plays like Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nobody.
His brother Jimmie was pretty amazing too, with his band The Fabulous Thunderbirds. There's a video out there of Jimmie and Stevie playing together on one double-neck guitar. Mind-boggling!!
Yeah I was fortunate to see him play just once. New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, early '80's. This girl I was with said " I know who you'd like to see". Had never so much as even heard of him. I can tell ya this though... I've seen nearly everyone worth seeing- that I've heard of- when I say that there never has been, ain't nobody around now, and the future ain't here so what can say? But he was easily the best performing blues rock guitarist ever. In MHO. IN just 3 songs I became a convert for life. Sure miss him.
I’m a classically trained violinist. I was blown away when I heard SRV. More difficult licks then in the major concertos. But all that is subservient to the raw emotion of his work. A true genius, we won’t see his like again. If we could all listen and play with a fraction of his intensity and commitment, Lord, the things we could do.
@@NowhereMan7 I'm an ex translator and language teacher, and I am not that musical, but when I get goosebumps I consider the music outstanding. I admire any musical talent as above all others! You keep your playing up with pride, it's a wonderful gift! 🐬
I think it was Jimmy Vaughan that once said, "Stevie loves only one thing more than the guitar, and that's his mother. And even then she has competition."
There are a lot of amazing musicians, but SRV was in a class almost by himself. That unique tone was instantly recognizable. He played with passion, skill and intensity. R.IP. Stevie. Thanks for sharing, Fil!
Everyone says he sounded like Hendricks. I think he was the best rock and blues guitarist ever. Period. Never has been or ever will be another like him. God bless. RIP
I never got that. Jimi was another level of creativity. Some people can make a song sound like it should. Jimi made a song sound like you never imagined.
@ I agree, there is no best...only different. Prince was a hellava good guitar player too but no one ever seemed to take notice. There are many good and great players that have their own unique talent for playing.
As far as I’m concerned it’s down to SRV and Duane Allman, as far as “The Best Guitarist Ever” goes, and you could also throw Alvin Lee into that rarefied company...
@ Thank you. SRV had a southern soulful sexy swag to his energy that was infectious. Jimi was his own unique creation and rep'd the late 60's and early 70s like no other. It isn't just TECHNIQUE that makes the genius....both are mesmerizing and unique.
Stevie Ray Vaughn in my opinion is the greatest blues guitar player of our generation and a voice of gold to boot r.i.p Stevie there will never be another like you
wingsofpegasus You should watch Stevie Ray Vaughn live at the montreaux music festival it's not a you tube video you should do because it's actually a couple hours long but it changed my whole perspective on rock n roll and guitar players in general thanks for the good content defenitely subscribing
Stevie had all the reason in the reason in the world to be conceited, but he was the most humble, gracious and caring person you could ever meet. The world would be a much better place if we had more people like him
Agree, he had several opportunities early in his career to tour with David Bowie and sign on as an individual act but he refused to leave his Double Trouble bandmates.
AvgDude yup,and his band mates were so appreciative that he was willing to say no to glitz and glamour touring with David bowie.and be faithful to his brothers in band
When he was in Chicago, I along with 12 other cops were assigned to his protection detail. I expected the usual arrogant David Lee Roth type all full of himself. When he got out of the limo the first thing he did was put on that signature hat. As we approached him (mind you all of us were at least 220 and at least 6'3") he looked up at us smiled and said hey how y'all doin? Shook our hands and invited us up for lunch. Once in the suite, he sat a spell (Im a southerner sorry) and jawed with us. Honestly, one of the most cordial humble grounded men Ive ever met in my career. That 10 minute break turned into 2 hours and yes some of us went back when off duty to hang out. I recall one comment I made to him that made him widely smile....."Jimi would be proud of you" a true Gentleman that I will NEVER forget.
What amazes me the short little licks between singing with Stevie Ray Vaughan, each one is absolutely unique and I have no doubt that what he plays is not planned or scheduled it just happens. He sounds so dang good. His music just flows and it's pleasing to the ear. He is a one and only.
Real good players can subdivide of a 4/4 blues bar into 64 or 128 segments. To be able to maintain this intricate time keeping is amazing. A built in metronome. Then to overlay this wizardry with multi rhythm riffs and return to straight time at the twinkle of an eye. This dude is the master at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats with so many different ideas and motifs.
@@Ken-ug8wd It's one thing to use another guitar players licks here and there but when you're playing Albert King's signature licks more than him it's a issue. SRV also copied his singing voice style from Larry Davis including his licks. He wrote and recorded Texas Flood in 1958 sorry if these facts are hard on you to accept. ua-cam.com/video/boulE-ihcoY/v-deo.html
My friend once said it looked like he couldn't decide which outfit to wear so he put them all on and it totally worked lol not too many people can carry that off.
I think people who try and downplay Stevie's contribution to the blues really don't have a clue to what blues guitar is. He had a bit of everyone in him, from howlin wolf to BB King and on and on. The blues was always meant to grow and breathe, never to stagnate or be into a box that stifles the innovative spirit of the medium, it was meant to inspire yet still be true to itself. We have Stevie and Bonamassa because people like Wolf and Hendrix added their two cents to the style.
He modernized Blues, while still respecting the traditions of Blues; the guitar was an extension of himself... he was an open channel, endless font... pure
His use of dynamics was insane. Especially with a cleaner tone, you could hear how his string gauge was so thick. I'm pretty sure you could tow a dump truck with his low E.
No doubt. It’s his use of dynamics that makes him the best I’ve ever heard. He can attack the string like a linebacker or barely touch them and have a great clean tone. He can play in front of or behind the rhythm. He can play lead and he rhythm at the same time. It’s otherworldly how good he was
I remember the day he died. It was like the day the music died. This happened before the headlights on cars automatically came on when you started them. Almost everybody turned thiers on for weeks. It was such a huge blow. All the rock stations played nothing but SRV. Rock was never the same.
I've posted that same thing before. I lived in Houston at the time and every car on the freeways had their lights on going in to work the next morning, listening to Dana Steele from KLOL try to keep her composure while she reported Stevie's death.
Stevie was one of my homies. The Oak Cliff area of Dallas turned out a lot of great musicians, but none like Stevie. He lived and breathed guitar 24/7/365. RIP Stevie. You grew up in a difficult situation but overcame. BTW, he played 13s. Best I've ever been able to do is 10s. Then again, I'm female with small hands. I can play the notes, but I don't have what God gave you. You were the best.
Texas produced a lot of great artists. but T-BONE Walker,(born on the Louisiana/Texas border),had an altogether different sound. he played behind his head before these guys were born, using one of those fat ,hollow electric guitars.even BB King always praised him. but none of this is a bad thing, he was a great player. just more polished sounding than Jimi or Stevie Ray. he was also a great blues singer. he wrote a blues standard .(they call it) "stormy Monday'.
SRV is what Jimmy Hendrix would have been if he had been a pure blues man and not moved into blues/rock.....I have never seen a bad SRV PERFORMANCE...BECAUSE THERE ARE NO BAD SRV SHOWS....and that applies to the band double trouble.
Ok, I'm gonna stop ya right there lol sorry man. Texas Birthday Party, Auditorium Shores, Town Lake, Austin- 1986. The playing was actually acid as hell, very trippy, but he was wasted on whatever and Jimmy and Kim had to come pull him off stage. They put together an Allstar closer band real quick though. Kim Wilson, Jimmy, Kris Kristofferson, Double Trouble, Omar, I think Joe Ely may have played too. There were a few other singers too. It was a shame not to hear him but the whole day was a blast.
I was a 15 when he passed away. I went to the mall the next day and bought "Texas flood". My first" cassette tape " of his .This made me want to pick up a guitar. He was so underrated and looked over, it was ridiculous.
When you said Stevie was playing from somewhere else, you gave voice to something about him that astonishes me no matter how many times I watch him play: there is something other in his feel, almost as though he is merely a vessel giving form to some transcendent source of inspiration no one else can quite get to. It’s as though the world about him ceases to be when he channels that emotion: just divine inspiration, Stevie, and a guitar. There’s a purity to it, an unadulterated brilliance. Every time I watch this, every note-whether unleashed in a torrent of fury or coaxed from the lightest touch-every note feels fresh and new. And I leave feeling as though I’ve witnessed something no one else could do. Stevie pays such respectful homage to Jimi on other tracks. There are hugely talented players alive today: is there anyone with the chops, the feel, and the expression to honor Stevie and, in your opinion, truly do justice to a track like Tin Pan Alley? To evoke in spirit and style both something of Stevie’s brilliance (as Stevie did with Jimi) while still making the track his or her own?
@@crouchjump5787 hence my use of “I” in the comment. Of course my opinion is subjective. No attempt is made to disguise it as anything else. You may also note that my ultimate phrasing-which acknowledges “hugely talented players alive today”-is interrogative, not declarative.
Fil. When you listen to SRV play a song from live at the El. Magombo. Called Texas flood. I swear I can hear the guitar breathing. This man was probably the best guitarist for Blues music in our lifetime
Sorry to be that person, the venue is called “El Mocambo”, but truly, I laughed hard for the misspelling. I’m assuming it’s just a typo, if it wasn’t, thanks for the laughter! That said, totally agreeing on that famous performance! Viva Stevie Ray per sempre!
finally someone watching stevie who understands what hes looking at... so many people write him off as repeating the same licks and never leaving a blues box but there has and will never be another guitarist with the sense of timing and taste that stevie had. the fact that his playing was so reminiscent of the greats he learned from whilst also being genuinely unmistakable for anyone else to ever touch the instrument is a testament to the incredible talent that he was
You were blessed. I had tickets to his show on September 23, 1990 he passed August 27, 1990. When I heard; I turned on The Sky is Crying, and poured a shot of Maker’s Mark. The Sky wasn’t the only one crying that day.
I was fortunate to see SRV live in May 1990 just a couple of months before he died. I skipped out on studying for my college finals. I got a pretty bad grade but it was so worth it. I’ve never been that emotionally drained when walking out of a concert before. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
I recall watching an interview with Eric Clapton who was commenting on a major difference between Stevie and himself. And it was this: Stevie was never thinking 'what do I play next?' Eric admitted that even he (Eric) will reach parts of his solo where he has to think of the next riff to add. Stevie never had that problem. He simply sang the blues.
So so lucky I was to have seen Stevie twice on his tour with Jeff Beck of all people. It was a tour that I had to see and ended up actually losing a job over leaving early on a Friday. Absolutely no regrets of course. With Stevie, there was no resistance between his head, heart and hands. He would curl into his guitar. Like his whole body collapsing inward. I'll never forget it and I knew at the time I was watching something truly special. So much to learn from him still.
123spleege I'm so jealous of anyone that was blessed with the opportunity to see Stevie. I've been playing the guitar for 26 years and I've always played by ear,my dad was the one that introduced me to Stevie rays music.the first sing I learned by him was voodoo chile.i felt like my wrist was gonna shatter and my forearm was gonna explode
123spleege I HAD TOO LAUGH WHEN READING YOUR POST BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME WITH A JOB I FINISHED MY WORK A HALF HOUR EARLY AND LET MY CO WORKER KNOW THAT I AM LEAVING EARLY AND THE RAT 🐀BASTARD RATTED ME OUT AND I GOT FIRED BUT IT WAS WORTH IT THAT CONCERT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE IT WAS FUNKADELICS "P-FUNK EARTH TOUR" AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AND THE STRANGE THING IS THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TOO LAUGH ABOUT IT SINCE. YOU WERE LUCKY I NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN LIVE BUT I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF SEEING HIS BROTHER JIMMY.
What’s crazy is Stevie’s playing is so unique and impressive, you can’t even describe it in words. The words don’t exist, you have to watch it and experience it.
Stevie's guitar playing is without question one of the all time greatest....and his voice (imo) was much underrated...terrific blues singer. He was the total package...R.I.P. Stevie Ray.
Yeah players who sing as well are always underrated. There are lots of players seen as great who just play, but I think if you sing too it's a higher level.
I saw SRV at a small outdoor shed back in the 80's. This was before he was SRV. He wasn't fully developed at the time and the band was carrying him through the whole show. His recordings weren't even on the radio yet and I was hanging with the local musicians who were in the know, so to speak. I went to the show because other local musicians were going. He didn't have his signature tone and style dialed in, but you could detect something special was about to happen and it did. A few years later and Holy Mother of Pearls did it happen. He was on the radio from noon to night. Every party I went to played SRV. Those were the days !
I've seen him live in 1986 in Belgium. Got his plectre (pick), which was severly "injured" after a few songs. We were asking him to play Tin pan alley, after each song, and, at a moment, he start a song, and he heard us (we were just in front of him). So he stopped the song they were just beggining, and he sat in front of us on the front amp (return), and he play tin pan alley.... at one meter away from us.... True story.
Having been fortunate enough to see SRV live the man was hands down the best musician I have ever seen. What I noticed was what made him so great is he was just happy to be there doing what he loved.
I can't believe all the haters out there. I've been playing for 30 years and I have lots of heroes I don't think one is better than an other, they're all different but to say he's over rated just smacks of jealousy. that's my 2 cents.
This is definitely a master class from a man that was one step ahead of everyone when he was with us.I miss him and his music.Thxs for this video Fil,rock on brother.
While there's no doubt that SRV was a phenomenal guitarist, IMO not enough credit was given to him as a vocalist. Just listen closely to his voice and the way he varies his pitch on the last word of a line. It's subtle but after you notice it, you'll always hear him when he does it. He was so versatile as a guitarist. From his work with David Bowie to his solo work. It didn't matter what the music was he excelled at whatever he played. RIP SRV gone too soon.
You don't even have to hear his strings, you can actually SEE how thick they are. Looks like he use the guidewire that holds radio station transmitter antennas up.
This guy echoes some thoughts I have about Stevie. I saw Stevie five times. Twice with my elbows on the stage. I always tell people that if you had gone to an SRV concert, and it ended one minute into the performance, it still would have been worth it, because you still would have seen genius the likes of which you had never experienced before.
I remember seeing him for the second time. he headlined a blues festival (July '89) outdoors, at a place called Great Woods. he walked out wearing a blazer too hot for that evening, and played the 1st note. I could feel the vibrations under my feet on that grass .for a blues act, he was pretty loud, but that's not the point. we all knew we were in the presence of a rock legend when the crowd reacted to that first note. I had told my late great close friend about the show, on the day of the show, and we had no way to get there, as his car was in down time(and my bike wasn't gonna get it done),but he worked for a repair shop.he said, "let me see what I can rustle up." he absolutely loved (as do I),electric guitar, and whoever could play it well. next thing I know ,we (his wife and 10 yr. old son)were driving down there w/ a blanket, some reefer, and money, in some kind of blue jeep.God bless that Jeep ,and you ,J.W. .yeah, he had Johnny Winter's initials ,and loved his playing. during what I recall as the encore I remember saying" I'll keep listening as long as he's willing to keep playing." we were in heaven. .on the way home, I had my walkman, containing a tape that all you blues lovers know. ATLANTIC BLUES:GUITAR.I stuck the headphones on old JW's head as the cut by Stevie Ray came on. "floodin' down in Texas" the one from Montreux. and we rolled on back to Boston. that was a time, alright.
Wings of Pegasus, there was this great post on the video of one of Stevie's soundchecks when one guy said "I don't get everybody comparing Stevie Ray Vaughan to Jesus. I mean, he's great and all that, but He ain't no Stevie Ray Vaughan." Hilarious. Slightly blasphemous, but a nugget of truth in there. Even Jesus would smile I think... after He nudged Stevie in the ribs.
What is often overlooked is just how fantastic a vocalist SRV was. To be able to do the things he did with the guitar is totally beyond comprehension but he also had superb command of his voice. We were certainly blessed to have been able to experience this talent. Talent like this comes along so rarely. R.I.P. Stevie, you are missed!
For me the most amazing thing about SRV is that he picked up his brother's guitar & taught himself how to play the guitar & could NOT read a note of music. He truly played from the heart!!!
Yes, I completely agree with your sentiment that Stevie’s playing comes from another place. I remember many years ago hearing him for the first time and thinking wow, that’s just raising the bar beyond anyone and everything I’d heard before, and being a guitarist myself and knowing the styles and sounds of famous guitarists until that point, it just blew me away. Still does. Always will. The only other guitarist I’ve seen that comes close is Gary Moore, of course there will be others, but Stevie lit the music up with his raw and outrageous talents, both as a singer and a consummate player. Playing delicately on songs, his guitar could break your heart, playing full tilt he could lift the roof. As good as it gets in my opinion. Unmatched. Best wishes Fil, I enjoyed your reverential analysis.
I remember Stevie and Jimmy playing jam sessions together at Antone’s in Austin. Having heard Clapton live in London in the mid 60s, I would tell folks i thought Stevie was better. Of course, most thought I was nuts. Then I read what Eric had said and it felt great to be vindicated and to know he and I agreed on the magic of SRV.
Each one of Stevie's songs started as a promise that he ALWAYS kept. He never slacked. Everything he shared with us was a gift. He was really a genius and his ability was unparalleled. I sometimes think Stevie was the music and he just channeled himself to us through his guitar...
Loved how intensely you were watching this video. And you are right, he was on another planet, and we will never see the likes of Stevie ever again. Rock ON!!
MrS O., I know that feeling. It's the profound loss at having this gifted man taken away far too soon in such a senseless fashion. Pilot error, banking into fog rather than rising above it to see that the path was clear of rising terrain. We should still have Stevie with us, but we have to be content with what he left us in 35 years.
You hit it on the head - SRV WAS playing from another realm. My theory is that he was hard-wired directly to Heaven's Blues Band, until they needed him back, so he was called home. Six strings down......
Yes, i know how good he was. i said it a long time before the likes of srv and seasick steve came along. i was referring to the likes of Clapton, who can play it, but doesnt fully feel it in my opinion , not to the extent that R.L Burnside or any of the 3 Kings felt it.
".. and i could just keep watching this video but i got to kinda remember to just hmm.. kinda talk " you just nailed it right there ! incredible self-analysis.
I totally agree with what you say man, I can never understand why people put players like Jimmy Page or Brian May above SRV in a great guitarist lists, no comparison.
Some players come close, but nobody will ever, ever match what Stevie brought to the table. At least not in these current generations. Saw him every chance I got...5 times. I feel for the people that didn't get that chance at least once. Great vid and analogy. You could do vids like this on every song he plays on and have a huge library of it.
honestly, who is better??? I met and hung out with him... amazing,,,, one on one... what a man.. amongst some demons, gracious and soft spoken, then we went to the stage, and my jaw never came off the ground!!!!
Stevie Ray was SUCH a talent and losing him like we did, at such a young age really robbed the world of one of it's brightest lights. You are absolutely right, Fil. No matter how long I practice and however many years I play, I KNOW that I will NEVER come anywhere CLOSE to him. Playing the guitar, he had more soul and blues in his little finger than I could even dream of.......and then he starts to SING!
@@austino Larry Davis recorded Texas Flood in 1958 now listen and maybe even you can figured out that SRV singing is copying LD. ua-cam.com/video/50RjCGVPhbA/v-deo.html
Johnny Copeland is an incredible singer, which makes him not in Stevie Ray's class. This is among the best music I have heard in a very very long time. GENIUS. Thank you so so much for sharing.
Stevie ray vaughn is my favorite guitar player of all time. He had it all. Technique, timing, feeling, depth, understanding of his tools, and the ability to put it all together into one amazing package, at any given time. He was one of those few icons in history that was actually better to see live than on a recording. His stage shows were a thing of legend that touched your soul, and you knew it.
Stevie is my favourite guitarist, along with Gary Moore. You could talk for hours about his skills as a musicians and guitarist, but what made him stand out to me is his how he always was an incredibly kind and humble person and he loved playing blues for people and loved playing with people. I honestly could picture him walking into a random pub or bar for a drink and joining the acts there even if they were local small part time bands. You should definitely check out one of the songs he and Albert king recorded together. It's my favourite thing to watch on UA-cam.
I lived in Austin in the 80s and Stevie would indeed walk into a random pub and jam with whatever band was there. I saw him countless times both as headliner and as a surprise walk on with someone else. I am blessed beyond measure.
I remember it was Super Sunday (the local boys weren't in it.),when PBS showed the infamous (I didn't have YT yet ), in studio Stevie Ray/Albert King show. it was like my own SB. I think it's called 'in session'.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of the most technically accomplished blues guitarists ever in my opinion. His picking, strumming, vibrato/bending were all out of this World...
Out of this world talent, voice and humility...man.............damn all the music we missed out on with his passing.. Grateful we had him on this planet tho - he made it better
Fil This is my second comment & brother I gotta say that I truly enjoy the way in which you narrate these artists. Awesome job, my friend. And I'd love to see / hear you play, as well. This is 20-something years later & I still miss the heck outta Stevie. I'd give anything in the world if we had this awesome dude back. Thanks for all you do. God bless.
@@wingsofpegasus yeah, I was a bit worried when I read the title of this one but again, you came through! One of the nicest guys in the world, gotta be.
Great video, I love hearing people trying to put SRV into words. I grew up near SRV , saw him play many times. Clampton called him an open channel , BB King said guitar playing was a conversation and SRV never was at a loss for the next thing to say.
BB was very articulate ,because that is a great way of putting it. saw him 3 times. nobody plucked or caressed a string like BB KING. and I mean nobody .I had a bootleg of SRV in Houston. he mimicked BB for kicks. ''you done lost yer good thang now'' is the tune .I played a portion (those riffs) for folks who were players ,and they thought it was BB.
Stevie was truly beyond sublime; no words to describe this, really. There is a bit in this video when even Copeland (a great blues guitarist himself) just stands in awe.
Stevie was a nice guy behind the scenes. I had a friend who showed me a pic of herself with him after one of his concerts, next to her front door. After his performance she had no ride home, so he walked her all the way to her house to make sure she arrived safely. Can you imagine the conversation they had?
It looks like there a lot of varying opinions as to SRV's abilities and talent as a musician. I have listened to several interviews with extremely famous and well respected performers who stated he possessed qualities that they could not duplicate. I am fairly certain these musicians and producers are accurate in their assessment of his talents as a musician.
Mike Genereux Yeah, for example this particular performance is impossible to reproduce exactly. It's almost as if you can hear the space between the strings and the fretboard... make any sense? Have you watched any Philip Sayce....when he's on fire live it's worth a watch, I haven't watched him for a while but there is a couple of phone-filmed versions of a live gig at The 100 Club, one individual is in a better position for filming{stage right} but cuts off one bit abruptly. I shall have to search for it myself now! ;~) England
Hi John, my comment on his abilities was aimed more at his talent of the music flowing seamlessly from start to finish. Both BB King and Eric Clapton made mention of his ability to do this. BB King said that he was one of the very few musicians that possessed this ability or talent, whichever you prefer to call it. Both BB King and Eric Clapton said they are not able to play with this ability. With that being said, I am a fan of SRV he loved playing music of all genre's. He also knew that he was part of a team, and without those other members he would not have been able to accomplish what he wanted to do play music. No one is perfect, he had his demons and was strong enough with help to overcome them. He used to speak openly at his performances that his drug addiction almost killed. His abilities as a musician and a humble person only grew from overcoming what has been the deadly demise of all too many great musicians.
Absolutely....I mean all you have to do is listen. The way he rakes and flows in that first 8 seconds alone, as you said, is enough to make even the casual listener realize this is a very unique musician. Oh yeah....not to mention he has the voice of a god as well. Thanks for the fun vids ! Keep 'em coming ! How about Rory Gallagher's "Bull Frog Blues" live in Paris !!
Eddie Smith He was an exceptional musician, as well as an exceptional person. He loved to play music. My personal preference is the music that he and Double Trouble wrote, but he loved to play the music of all the people that influenced him. A reporter asked him why he played so much Jimi Hendrix, he wanted to know was he trying to be like him. Stevie's answer was simple, I like his music. He went on to tell him everybody knows there was only one Jimi Hendrix and everybody knows I am not him. He continued by telling him that by him playing Jimi's songs it would hopefully expose more people to his music. I believe that is the position he took on everyone whose songs he covered. In my opinion he was a great musician and person. If you have not seen him and Albert Collins at the presidential inauguration in 1989 on UA-cam Stevie is double toe tapping. Fun video to watch and listen to.
There was heart and soul and blues on that stage and something else...a resonance that was something else. Something that pulled the guitar out of the swamps and cotton fields and Chicago stages and Texas clubs and flooded our dopamine receptors. We got addicted to SRV. He was something
Close friend of mine was the lighting guy for Johnny Winters . Until the end. I mean for years .... He met Stevie Ray Vaughan , said he was very humble guy . Did not fit the bill off stag , like he really didn’t get how good he was .... taken to soon from us for sure.. thanks
"Amazing set of Stevie Ray Vaughan playing with Johnny Copeland at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1985. SRV appeared in Montreux first time in July 1982 with his Double Trouble and brought to the attention of John H. Hammond, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Both concerts were later released on DVD "Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985" on Epic Records" .
Thanks for sharing this with...everybody! You’re obviously a knowledgeable guitarist-everything you said is...bang on! One could be a student of (any) instrument, practice and study theory for years...but if that 'ONE' wasn’t born with 'the FEELING: natural rhythm, the strength to bend, hold, & make a guitar sustain a note with one's vibrato & have the EAR that enables each note ring true...blah, blah, blah. He had such incredible CONTROL of his guitar whether he was playing rhythm or soloing. I’m blessed to have seen one of his last shows. He was touring with Joe Cocker & I saw them in Vancouver, & his hat fell off during a great solo-which he picked up with the headstock of his Strat & flipped up back on without missing a beat. About one month later, SRV passed away. Thankfully, we have many recorded performances like this one. Thanks very much for sharing it!
No problem! Yeah he was taken way too soon, I really wish I had the opportunity to see him live, but I was a little late to the party which I blame my parents for! But like you said thankfully we have the videos and recordings.
I really love and appreciate your take on many of your observations on musicians. Phil, l want to say that besides the fact that you give really accurate feedback, it's easy to see that you yourself are a very humble dude blessed with humility. God bless you brother.
I’ve saw him live many times, living in Austin. He blew me away every single time. His ability to feel the music transferred to me. I could feel the emotion in every cell in my body.
Your statements on a guitarist's feel is right on. It's what separates good from great. A guitar player you can identify in 3 bars: Santana, Hendrix, Garcia, etc. are truly special and a gift to the ears and soul. Great video brother!
28 years ago the end of this month (August 2019), Stevie returned to his Creator...he was a class act. Stevie...we all miss you. Rest son...you've changed to world in a very profound way. RIP
I went to a ZZ Top concert in Texas during the early 80's & SRV happened to the cover band out in front of ZZTop>> this man burned the whole place down w/ more musical skills/abilities. He plays the music of 2 guitarist by himself & he made ZZTop look bad? I was sold forever...... RIP SRV
And, he couldn't read music. He tried to learn, but stopped and just played from his heart and soul. He was the best blues guitarist of all times. Period. RIP
It would be like putting training wheels on a bike for a kid that could already ride. It's a tool for the rest of us that don't have musical instincts that the prodigies do. Music makes sense to them early on the same way that spoken language does for kids at an early age. They don't need to learn to read music we need to learn to read music. The only deficiency they have is if they have to play something they haven't played for a long time. The Edge of U2 used to have somebody play his own music back to him in his presence to remind him of how to play certain songs. Beyond that sheet music and music theory might actually hinder their creativity if they took the time to study those things. Like they say if it ain't broke don't fix it.
That’s how I play man. I’m 26 years old & have never knew how to read the music. I just feel it & it takes a lot of work and dedication lol. I’ve been playing for about 12 years.
Among the best, certainly. But there are a lot of great blues musicians. Definitely the fastest!
@@fifthbusiness1678 I respect your post as I agree that there are a lot of great blues musicians, because I've been a blues fan for most of my life and am a huge fan of many past and present. But I admit to being a Stevie Ray fan above all, maybe more so influenced that way since he was so tragically killed barely 30 miles from where I lived then. So, to me, he will always be the GOAT.
@@fifthbusiness1678 the fastest?
In an interview with Eric Clapton still on you tube he talks about seeing SRV for the first time live where SRV was warming up for him at a gig in London. After watching SRV for a single song he went back stage and began a full on panic. He didn't feel he could follow SRV and genuinely had to pull himself together to get on stage. The interviewer chuckles when Eric made the comment. Eric stopped him and said, there wasn't anything funny about it. Eric described SRV, not as a guitar player...but "as an open channel to heaven"
Well said...it's hard to use words for this type of musician
This is a true story but I think this happened with Hendrix instead of SRV. I think the first time Clapton heard SRV he was driving and had to pull over.
@@skyent9513 you are correct 👍🏼
@@skyent9513 yep, it was Hendrix.
@@skyent9513 I saw that video he was talking about Stevie ray.. When he experienced Hendrix it was in a club and it totally blew his mind.
This guitar is literally part of his body. From his brain , reaches down his arms, through his hands, straight into those strings. He renders you speechless. Ain't nobody plays like Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nobody.
Not literally, but figuratively.
His brother Jimmie was pretty amazing too, with his band The Fabulous Thunderbirds. There's a video out there of Jimmie and Stevie playing together on one double-neck guitar. Mind-boggling!!
Right on brother. Love SRV and still miss him so much, still hurts after all these years.
@travelling man Flawless ;)
When it comes to rock: do nor forget Ted Nugent
Its amazing 30 years after his death...people are still talking about his talent. The man truly was a guitar god...
The fact that you said 30 years ago scares me... i remember it well, i just didn't know so much time had passed
Yeah I was fortunate to see him play just once. New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, early '80's. This girl I was with said " I know who you'd like to see". Had never so much as even heard of him. I can tell ya this though... I've seen nearly everyone worth seeing- that I've heard of- when I say that there never has been, ain't nobody around now, and the future ain't here so what can say? But he was easily the best performing blues rock guitarist ever. In MHO. IN just 3 songs I became a convert for life. Sure miss him.
Yes Jesus he was
What?! please tell me you made a math error and it's much less than 30 years!
@@dannygjk August 27, 1990..
I’m a classically trained violinist. I was blown away when I heard SRV. More difficult licks then in the major concertos. But all that is subservient to the raw emotion of his work. A true genius, we won’t see his like again. If we could all listen and play with a fraction of his intensity and commitment, Lord, the things we could do.
I'm a bus driver, and I think hes good too. I cant speak to how difficult his lick are as I play a different instrument.
@@NowhereMan7 I'm an ex translator and language teacher, and I am not that musical, but when I get goosebumps I consider the music outstanding. I admire any musical talent as above all others! You keep your playing up with pride, it's a wonderful gift! 🐬
Technique is important, obviously,but if there's no feeling to it,it leaves me cold.Stevie Ray was... transcendent.I was heartbroken when he died.
I think it was Jimmy Vaughan that once said, "Stevie loves only one thing more than the guitar, and that's his mother. And even then she has competition."
Oh yeah,mama carried us around for nine months,I love my mama more than any thing too Stevie.
Big deal, dogs do it.
There are a lot of amazing musicians, but SRV was in a class almost by himself. That unique tone was instantly recognizable. He played with passion, skill and intensity. R.IP. Stevie. Thanks for sharing, Fil!
Everyone says he sounded like Hendricks. I think he was the best rock and blues guitarist ever. Period. Never has been or ever will be another like him. God bless. RIP
I never got that. Jimi was another level of creativity. Some people can make a song sound like it should. Jimi made a song sound like you never imagined.
@ I agree, there is no best...only different. Prince was a hellava good guitar player too but no one ever seemed to take notice. There are many good and great players that have their own unique talent for playing.
As far as I’m concerned it’s down to SRV and Duane Allman, as far as “The Best Guitarist Ever” goes, and you could also throw Alvin Lee into that rarefied company...
@ Thank you. SRV had a southern soulful sexy swag to his energy that was infectious. Jimi was his own unique creation and rep'd the late 60's and early 70s like no other. It isn't just TECHNIQUE that makes the genius....both are mesmerizing and unique.
People that say he sounded like Jimi Hendrix never heard Albert King play.
Stevie Ray Vaughn in my opinion is the greatest blues guitar player of our generation and a voice of gold to boot r.i.p Stevie there will never be another like you
Amen.
wingsofpegasus You should watch Stevie Ray Vaughn live at the montreaux music festival it's not a you tube video you should do because it's actually a couple hours long but it changed my whole perspective on rock n roll and guitar players in general thanks for the good content defenitely subscribing
Drew kay I'm going to have to agree!!!!
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! R.I.P......SRV
No..can't touch Albert King, or the originals.
Too many notes
Stevie had all the reason in the reason in the world to be conceited, but he was the most humble, gracious and caring person you could ever meet. The world would be a much better place if we had more people like him
Amen.
Agree, he had several opportunities early in his career to tour with David Bowie and sign on as an individual act but he refused to leave his Double Trouble bandmates.
AvgDude yup,and his band mates were so appreciative that he was willing to say no to glitz and glamour touring with David bowie.and be faithful to his brothers in band
When he was in Chicago, I along with 12 other cops were assigned to his protection detail. I expected the usual arrogant David Lee Roth type all full of himself. When he got out of the limo the first thing he did was put on that signature hat. As we approached him (mind you all of us were at least 220 and at least 6'3") he looked up at us smiled and said hey how y'all doin? Shook our hands and invited us up for lunch. Once in the suite, he sat a spell (Im a southerner sorry) and jawed with us. Honestly, one of the most cordial humble grounded men Ive ever met in my career. That 10 minute break turned into 2 hours and yes some of us went back when off duty to hang out. I recall one comment I made to him that made him widely smile....."Jimi would be proud of you" a true Gentleman that I will NEVER forget.
💯💯
Stevie didn't play guitar....Stevie was the guitar...
what a dumb comment stevie was the mike standd
Amen man. That man was pure Magic. The best there is. The best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Amen!!
What amazes me the short little licks between singing with Stevie Ray Vaughan, each one is absolutely unique and I have no doubt that what he plays is not planned or scheduled it just happens. He sounds so dang good. His music just flows and it's pleasing to the ear. He is a one and only.
“Eric Clapton made his guitar weep. Hendrix made his guitar cry. SRV made his guitar scream.” I dont know who said it but I can’t argue with it.
SRV did all of those
I think Gary Moore did all three as well.
John petrucci, and steve vai have quite the touch as well
EC is a joke😂
Franc Cape hahahahahahah
Real good players can subdivide of a 4/4 blues bar into 64 or 128 segments. To be able to maintain this intricate time keeping is amazing. A built in metronome. Then to overlay this wizardry with multi rhythm riffs and return to straight time at the twinkle of an eye. This dude is the master at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats with so many different ideas and motifs.
I never thought that Stevie Ray ever received the acclaim and recognition that he deserved. He was a musical genius!
Maybe because he stole Albert King's signature licks as his own. But I agree he was a very capable guitarist.
True but what guitarist hasn’t stolen licks from those amazing blues legends
@@Ken-ug8wd It's one thing to use another guitar players licks here and there but when you're playing Albert King's signature licks more than him it's a issue. SRV also copied his singing voice style from Larry Davis including his licks. He wrote and recorded Texas Flood in 1958 sorry if these facts are hard on you to accept. ua-cam.com/video/boulE-ihcoY/v-deo.html
Electric these aren’t hard to expect so many guitar legends copied so many others.
@@Ken-ug8wd You seem to be unable to see the difference between copying a note here and there and flat out musical note for note plaglarism.
SRV's pimp outfits are almost as cool as his playing.
He's my male fashion icon...Texas boho chic hipster!
It's like HuggyBear playing guitar...
I like the outfit of this show
Right 🙏
My friend once said it looked like he couldn't decide which outfit to wear so he put them all on and it totally worked lol not too many people can carry that off.
I think people who try and downplay Stevie's contribution to the blues really don't have a clue to what blues guitar is. He had a bit of everyone in him, from howlin wolf to BB King and on and on. The blues was always meant to grow and breathe, never to stagnate or be into a box that stifles the innovative spirit of the medium, it was meant to inspire yet still be true to itself.
We have Stevie and Bonamassa because people like Wolf and Hendrix added their two cents to the style.
Yeah definitely, it evolves with time and Stevie certainly took it to another place.
He modernized Blues, while still respecting the traditions of Blues; the guitar was an extension of himself... he was an open channel, endless font... pure
Well stated. It’s precisely what he did.
His use of dynamics was insane. Especially with a cleaner tone, you could hear how his string gauge was so thick. I'm pretty sure you could tow a dump truck with his low E.
No doubt. It’s his use of dynamics that makes him the best I’ve ever heard. He can attack the string like a linebacker or barely touch them and have a great clean tone.
He can play in front of or behind the rhythm. He can play lead and he rhythm at the same time.
It’s otherworldly how good he was
I remember the day he died. It was like the day the music died. This happened before the headlights on cars automatically came on when you started them. Almost everybody turned thiers on for weeks. It was such a huge blow. All the rock stations played nothing but SRV. Rock was never the same.
Yeah he's a massive loss to music.
I've posted that same thing before. I lived in Houston at the time and every car on the freeways had their lights on going in to work the next morning, listening to Dana Steele from KLOL try to keep her composure while she reported Stevie's death.
reddog 458 😪😢
The two sudden unexpected deaths in music the moved me to tears were SRV and Randy Rhoads.
Mine were Stevie Ray and Gary Moore may they both RIP.
Stevie was one of my homies. The Oak Cliff area of Dallas turned out a lot of great musicians, but none like Stevie. He lived and breathed guitar 24/7/365. RIP Stevie. You grew up in a difficult situation but overcame. BTW, he played 13s. Best I've ever been able to do is 10s. Then again, I'm female with small hands. I can play the notes, but I don't have what God gave you. You were the best.
Many say they hear Hendrix, yes.. but that tone is Texas.
Absolutely!
Texas produced a lot of great artists. but T-BONE Walker,(born on the Louisiana/Texas border),had an altogether different sound. he played behind his head before these guys were born, using one of those fat ,hollow electric guitars.even BB King always praised him. but none of this is a bad thing, he was a great player. just more polished sounding than Jimi or Stevie Ray. he was also a great blues singer. he wrote a blues standard .(they call it) "stormy Monday'.
@@flycast641 Skeeters in Onalaska,or The Dixie Chicken in College Station.
Stevie LEFT texas.
... "that tone tho'!"
SRV is what Jimmy Hendrix would have been if he had been a pure blues man and not moved into blues/rock.....I have never seen a bad SRV PERFORMANCE...BECAUSE THERE ARE NO BAD SRV SHOWS....and that applies to the band double trouble.
Ok, I'm gonna stop ya right there lol sorry man. Texas Birthday Party, Auditorium Shores, Town Lake, Austin- 1986. The playing was actually acid as hell, very trippy, but he was wasted on whatever and Jimmy and Kim had to come pull him off stage. They put together an Allstar closer band real quick though. Kim Wilson, Jimmy, Kris Kristofferson, Double Trouble, Omar, I think Joe Ely may have played too. There were a few other singers too. It was a shame not to hear him but the whole day was a blast.
I was a 15 when he passed away.
I went to the mall the next day and bought "Texas flood". My first" cassette tape " of his .This made me want to pick up a guitar.
He was so underrated and looked over, it was ridiculous.
When Clapton first saw SRV he was blown away at his 'fluidity' .. no breaks .. no start again points .. just one fluid melody.. absolutely incredible.
Yeah it seems like he never has to think!
Clapton also said SRV never "ran dry", he'd just keep great stuff coming.
a2zme who is Clacton
phil brown I believe he is talking about Eric clapton
a2zme Thats what Eric Clapton said, He never got 'lost' he always knew where to go next.
When you said Stevie was playing from somewhere else, you gave voice to something about him that astonishes me no matter how many times I watch him play: there is something other in his feel, almost as though he is merely a vessel giving form to some transcendent source of inspiration no one else can quite get to. It’s as though the world about him ceases to be when he channels that emotion: just divine inspiration, Stevie, and a guitar. There’s a purity to it, an unadulterated brilliance. Every time I watch this, every note-whether unleashed in a torrent of fury or coaxed from the lightest touch-every note feels fresh and new. And I leave feeling as though I’ve witnessed something no one else could do. Stevie pays such respectful homage to Jimi on other tracks. There are hugely talented players alive today: is there anyone with the chops, the feel, and the expression to honor Stevie and, in your opinion, truly do justice to a track like Tin Pan Alley? To evoke in spirit and style both something of Stevie’s brilliance (as Stevie did with Jimi) while still making the track his or her own?
@@crouchjump5787 hence my use of “I” in the comment. Of course my opinion is subjective. No attempt is made to disguise it as anything else. You may also note that my ultimate phrasing-which acknowledges “hugely talented players alive today”-is interrogative, not declarative.
Fil. When you listen to SRV play a song from live at the El. Magombo. Called Texas flood. I swear I can hear the guitar breathing. This man was probably the best guitarist for Blues music in our lifetime
Tom Price i have that DVD
here's another good clip. watch Stevie's face ua-cam.com/video/SeLddbrzsHk/v-deo.html
With out any doubt he was.
Sorry to be that person, the venue is called “El Mocambo”, but truly, I laughed hard for the misspelling. I’m assuming it’s just a typo, if it wasn’t, thanks for the laughter! That said, totally agreeing on that famous performance! Viva Stevie Ray per sempre!
It was a natural gift to him. Jaw dropping amazement. Stevie Ray made it look so easy.
finally someone watching stevie who understands what hes looking at... so many people write him off as repeating the same licks and never leaving a blues box but there has and will never be another guitarist with the sense of timing and taste that stevie had. the fact that his playing was so reminiscent of the greats he learned from whilst also being genuinely unmistakable for anyone else to ever touch the instrument is a testament to the incredible talent that he was
Yeah when he covers Little Wing he actually really holds back on the speed showing he is much more than just a lick repeater!
I saw Stevie play 6 different times. Before and after rehab and he NEVER failed to deliver. Ever.
Awesome!
You were blessed. I had tickets to his show on September 23, 1990 he passed August 27, 1990. When I heard; I turned on The Sky is Crying, and poured a shot of Maker’s Mark. The Sky wasn’t the only one crying that day.
I didn't even realize that they hadn't started singing yet because the instrumental was so spectacular. Very hypnotizing.
It was spectacular.
@@onyxescence So true. Two of the best guitarist ever;
I was fortunate to see SRV live in May 1990 just a couple of months before he died. I skipped out on studying for my college finals. I got a pretty bad grade but it was so worth it. I’ve never been that emotionally drained when walking out of a concert before. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
I recall watching an interview with Eric Clapton who was commenting on a major difference between Stevie and himself. And it was this: Stevie was never thinking 'what do I play next?' Eric admitted that even he (Eric) will reach parts of his solo where he has to think of the next riff to add. Stevie never had that problem. He simply sang the blues.
Amen!
Yes, that's how I saw him as well. Music welled up in him and poured out.
So so lucky I was to have seen Stevie twice on his tour with Jeff Beck of all people. It was a tour that I had to see and ended up actually losing a job over leaving early on a Friday. Absolutely no regrets of course. With Stevie, there was no resistance between his head, heart and hands. He would curl into his guitar. Like his whole body collapsing inward. I'll never forget it and I knew at the time I was watching something truly special. So much to learn from him still.
Wow that's awesome!
123spleege I'm so jealous of anyone that was blessed with the opportunity to see Stevie. I've been playing the guitar for 26 years and I've always played by ear,my dad was the one that introduced me to Stevie rays music.the first sing I learned by him was voodoo chile.i felt like my wrist was gonna shatter and my forearm was gonna explode
123spleege I saw him in high school, 1983 or so. Jacksonville colisium.was absolutely insane 😃
123spleege I HAD TOO LAUGH WHEN READING YOUR POST BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME WITH A JOB I FINISHED MY WORK A HALF HOUR EARLY AND LET MY CO WORKER KNOW THAT I AM LEAVING EARLY AND THE RAT 🐀BASTARD RATTED ME OUT AND I GOT FIRED BUT IT WAS WORTH IT THAT CONCERT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE IT WAS FUNKADELICS "P-FUNK EARTH TOUR" AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AND THE STRANGE THING IS THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TOO LAUGH ABOUT IT SINCE. YOU WERE LUCKY I NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN LIVE BUT I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF SEEING HIS BROTHER JIMMY.
I only watch your videos when Stevie is on.
What’s crazy is Stevie’s playing is so unique and impressive, you can’t even describe it in words. The words don’t exist, you have to watch it and experience it.
Stevie's guitar playing is without question one of the all time greatest....and his voice (imo) was much underrated...terrific blues singer. He was the total package...R.I.P. Stevie Ray.
Yeah players who sing as well are always underrated. There are lots of players seen as great who just play, but I think if you sing too it's a higher level.
Voice too white
I saw SRV at a small outdoor shed back in the 80's. This was before he was SRV. He wasn't fully developed at the time and the band was carrying him through the whole show. His recordings weren't even on the radio yet and I was hanging with the local musicians who were in the know, so to speak. I went to the show because other local musicians were going.
He didn't have his signature tone and style dialed in, but you could detect something special was about to happen and it did.
A few years later and Holy Mother of Pearls did it happen. He was on the radio from noon to night. Every party I went to played SRV.
Those were the days !
I've seen him live in 1986 in Belgium.
Got his plectre (pick), which was severly "injured" after a few songs.
We were asking him to play Tin pan alley, after each song, and, at a moment, he start a song, and he heard us (we were just in front of him). So he stopped the song they were just beggining, and he sat in front of us on the front amp (return), and he play tin pan alley.... at one meter away from us....
True story.
Having been fortunate enough to see SRV live the man was hands down the best musician I have ever seen. What I noticed was what made him so great is he was just happy to be there doing what he loved.
To me, SRV made the blues fun. Once in a lifetime, we are lucky enough to see a gem like him. R.I.P. SRV!
One of the best guitarists I can think of. Came from his soul, no thought, jammed like mad. A great overlooked voice too. Thanks Fil😊🧡
I can't believe all the haters out there. I've been playing for 30 years and I have lots of heroes I don't think one is better than an other, they're all different but to say he's over rated just smacks of jealousy. that's my 2 cents.
Yeah people don't realise with art there is no 'better'!
Mauricio Eduardo Santana Anyone who says he's overrated is an idiot.
No sir.He is technically good but plays too many notes
@@designstudio4483 he does an abreviated sweep style, long before sweep picking was " a thing". That lets him add feel to the music.
This is definitely a master class from a man that was one step ahead of everyone when he was with us.I miss him and his music.Thxs for this video Fil,rock on brother.
No problem, whenever I see Stevie he just gets better and better.
Other blues players don't play "by ear"?
While there's no doubt that SRV was a phenomenal guitarist, IMO not enough credit was given to him as a vocalist. Just listen closely to his voice and the way he varies his pitch on the last word of a line. It's subtle but after you notice it, you'll always hear him when he does it. He was so versatile as a guitarist. From his work with David Bowie to his solo work. It didn't matter what the music was he excelled at whatever he played.
RIP SRV gone too soon.
You don't even have to hear his strings, you can actually SEE how thick they are. Looks like he use the guidewire that holds radio station transmitter antennas up.
Yeah guidewire was his backup!
Tank tow cables lol
Just imagine his left hand grip. The strength it takes to stretch the strings across the entire neck is amazing.
Well, not long after he did Austin City Limits a tower did fall and there was a report of a construction crane missing it's cables.
:-D
This guy echoes some thoughts I have about Stevie.
I saw Stevie five times. Twice with my elbows on the stage. I always tell people that if you had gone to an SRV concert, and it ended one minute into the performance, it still would have been worth it, because you still would have seen genius the likes of which you had never experienced before.
Amen!
I remember seeing him for the second time. he headlined a blues festival (July '89) outdoors, at a place called Great Woods. he walked out wearing a blazer too hot for that evening, and played the 1st note. I could feel the vibrations under my feet on that grass .for a blues act, he was pretty loud, but that's not the point. we all knew we were in the presence of a rock legend when the crowd reacted to that first note. I had told my late great close friend about the show, on the day of the show, and we had no way to get there, as his car was in down time(and my bike wasn't gonna get it done),but he worked for a repair shop.he said, "let me see what I can rustle up." he absolutely loved (as do I),electric guitar, and whoever could play it well. next thing I know ,we (his wife and 10 yr. old son)were driving down there w/ a blanket, some reefer, and money, in some kind of blue jeep.God bless that Jeep ,and you ,J.W. .yeah, he had Johnny Winter's initials ,and loved his playing. during what I recall as the encore I remember saying" I'll keep listening as long as he's willing to keep playing." we were in heaven. .on the way home, I had my walkman, containing a tape that all you blues lovers know. ATLANTIC BLUES:GUITAR.I stuck the headphones on old JW's head as the cut by Stevie Ray came on. "floodin' down in Texas" the one from Montreux. and we rolled on back to Boston. that was a time, alright.
😆
There's good. There's REALLY good. Then there's Mr. Stevie Ray Vaughan...
Amen!
Wings of Pegasus, there was this great post on the video of one of Stevie's soundchecks when one guy said "I don't get everybody comparing Stevie Ray Vaughan to Jesus. I mean, he's great and all that, but He ain't no Stevie Ray Vaughan." Hilarious. Slightly blasphemous, but a nugget of truth in there. Even Jesus would smile I think... after He nudged Stevie in the ribs.
Did you mean there's GOD
Don't forget Tommy Emanuel
He was the best and a good guy on top just a down to earth man
What is often overlooked is just how fantastic a vocalist SRV was. To be able to do the things he did with the guitar is totally beyond comprehension but he also had superb command of his voice. We were certainly blessed to have been able to experience this talent. Talent like this comes along so rarely. R.I.P. Stevie, you are missed!
For me the most amazing thing about SRV is that he picked up his brother's guitar & taught himself how to play the guitar & could NOT read a note of music. He truly played from the heart!!!
Yes, I completely agree with your sentiment that Stevie’s playing comes from another place. I remember many years ago hearing him for the first time and thinking wow, that’s just raising the bar beyond anyone and everything I’d heard before, and being a guitarist myself and knowing the styles and sounds of famous guitarists until that point, it just blew me away. Still does. Always will. The only other guitarist I’ve seen that comes close is Gary Moore, of course there will be others, but Stevie lit the music up with his raw and outrageous talents, both as a singer and a consummate player. Playing delicately on songs, his guitar could break your heart, playing full tilt he could lift the roof. As good as it gets in my opinion. Unmatched. Best wishes Fil, I enjoyed your reverential analysis.
I remember Stevie and Jimmy playing jam sessions together at Antone’s in Austin. Having heard Clapton live in London in the mid 60s, I would tell folks i thought Stevie was better. Of course, most thought I was nuts. Then I read what Eric had said and it felt great to be vindicated and to know he and I agreed on the magic of SRV.
I seen one with Clapton as well. To him, SRV was in a league above any other
Did they have a time machine because Hendrix died when Stevie was 15 years old ******
@@ClownWhisper Pretty sure the OP is referring to Jimmie Vaughan, SRV's older brother, not Jimi Hendrix.
Each one of Stevie's songs started as a promise that he ALWAYS kept. He never slacked. Everything he shared with us was a gift. He was really a genius and his ability was unparalleled. I sometimes think Stevie was the music and he just channeled himself to us through his guitar...
Who could give the best guitar player ever 200 thumbs down???
They must have been deaf!!!
Amen!
They're just jealous.
They do not know true talent
Enough Corruption: Those down voters are all dyslexic. ;-)
Probably fans Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift
Loved how intensely you were watching this video. And you are right, he was on another planet, and we will never see the likes of Stevie ever again. Rock ON!!
Your face is My Face whn i hear Stevie on his Guitar. He leaves me Speechless. And for some reason I want to cry.
I agree with you 100% brings tears to the eyes, feel it in the heart like tragedy and joy to the soul. The true meaning of the word Awesome!
Tim Jones i can close my eyes and just FEEL him on the Guitar.... makes me Melt.
You and me both :-)
Bearded Lady 702 that's because the guitar didn't play him? He played the guitar
MrS O., I know that feeling. It's the profound loss at having this gifted man taken away far too soon in such a senseless fashion. Pilot error, banking into fog rather than rising above it to see that the path was clear of rising terrain. We should still have Stevie with us, but we have to be content with what he left us in 35 years.
Watching you laugh and smile when listening to him, makes me smile. I can tell your in AWE……❤❤❤❤! Great Job Fil…..as ALWAYS!❤!
You hit it on the head - SRV WAS playing from another realm. My theory is that he was hard-wired directly to Heaven's Blues Band, until they needed him back, so he was called home. Six strings down......
And to think i once said " white artists cant feel blues and soul ". Think i better take my foot out of my mouth now.
Haha!
Its a universal language. That's why so many respond to it.
TheDavjo Stevie was and is Amazing. I've seen it
Yes, i know how good he was. i said it a long time before the likes of srv and seasick steve came along. i was referring to the likes of Clapton, who can play it, but doesnt fully feel it in my opinion , not to the extent that R.L Burnside or any of the 3 Kings felt it.
TheDavjo
BB King apparently once said Peter Green was the only white guitarist to make the hairs stand up on the back of his neck...
".. and i could just keep watching this video
but i got to kinda remember to just hmm.. kinda talk
"
you just nailed it right there ! incredible self-analysis.
I totally agree with what you say man, I can never understand why people put players like Jimmy Page or Brian May above SRV in a great guitarist lists, no comparison.
Some players come close, but nobody will ever, ever match what Stevie brought to the table. At least not in these current generations. Saw him every chance I got...5 times. I feel for the people that didn't get that chance at least once.
Great vid and analogy. You could do vids like this on every song he plays on and have a huge library of it.
I could! Every video I see of Stevie blows me away!
honestly, who is better??? I met and hung out with him... amazing,,,, one on one... what a man.. amongst some demons, gracious and soft spoken, then we went to the stage, and my jaw never came off the ground!!!!
Stevie Ray was SUCH a talent and losing him like we did, at such a young age really robbed the world of one of it's brightest lights. You are absolutely right, Fil. No matter how long I practice and however many years I play, I KNOW that I will NEVER come anywhere CLOSE to him. Playing the guitar, he had more soul and blues in his little finger than I could even dream of.......and then he starts to SING!
You forgot to mention his magical blues voice!
SRV is copying Black guitarist Larry Davis writer and performer of Texas Flood in 1958.
Electric 🤦🏼♂️
@@austino Larry Davis recorded Texas Flood in 1958 now listen and maybe even you can figured out that SRV singing is copying LD. ua-cam.com/video/50RjCGVPhbA/v-deo.html
And blacks copied whites 🤷🏼♂️. They just perfected it.history always repeats itself.
Johnny Copeland is an incredible singer, which makes him not in Stevie Ray's class. This is among the best music I have heard in a very very long time. GENIUS. Thank you so so much for sharing.
Stevie ray vaughn is my favorite guitar player of all time. He had it all. Technique, timing, feeling, depth, understanding of his tools, and the ability to put it all together into one amazing package, at any given time. He was one of those few icons in history that was actually better to see live than on a recording. His stage shows were a thing of legend that touched your soul, and you knew it.
Stevie is my favourite guitarist, along with Gary Moore. You could talk for hours about his skills as a musicians and guitarist, but what made him stand out to me is his how he always was an incredibly kind and humble person and he loved playing blues for people and loved playing with people. I honestly could picture him walking into a random pub or bar for a drink and joining the acts there even if they were local small part time bands. You should definitely check out one of the songs he and Albert king recorded together. It's my favourite thing to watch on UA-cam.
Thanks for the reference!
Both monsters players, there aren’t many around like that anymore!
I thought Gary Moore was way above stevie ray! mr. moore left stevie in the dust!
I lived in Austin in the 80s and Stevie would indeed walk into a random pub and jam with whatever band was there. I saw him countless times both as headliner and as a surprise walk on with someone else. I am blessed beyond measure.
I remember it was Super Sunday (the local boys weren't in it.),when PBS showed the infamous (I didn't have YT yet ), in studio Stevie Ray/Albert King show. it was like my own SB. I think it's called 'in session'.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of the most technically accomplished blues guitarists ever in my opinion. His picking, strumming, vibrato/bending were all out of this World...
Out of this world talent, voice and humility...man.............damn all the music we missed out on with his passing.. Grateful we had him on this planet tho - he made it better
You were my introduction to SRV and I had no idea what I'd been missing all my life. Words pale before such awesomeness. Thank you!
Johnny Copeland delivers impressive vocals and guitar in this performance. Stevie's fast-strumming in the latter part of the song is also outstanding.
Fil
This is my second comment & brother I gotta say that I truly enjoy the way in which you narrate these artists. Awesome job, my friend. And I'd love to see / hear you play, as well.
This is 20-something years later & I still miss the heck outta Stevie. I'd give anything in the world if we had this awesome dude back. Thanks for all you do. God bless.
Thanks!
@@wingsofpegasus yeah, I was a bit worried when I read the title of this one but again, you came through! One of the nicest guys in the world, gotta be.
I saw SRV in concert 7 times. The best guitarist I've ever seen ( and I've seen everybody)
Awesome!
You are without doubt one of the luckiest people alive my friend 👍
3antonine Jeff Beck,Gregg Allman,Joe Satriani,Robert Plant all shared the bill with SRV when I went. Always an awesome night of music
Certainly the best I've ever seen live, within his genre. And we lost him way too soon.
Stevie was one of the best guitarists is that ever lived hands down
Great video, I love hearing people trying to put SRV into words. I grew up near SRV , saw him play many times. Clampton called him an open channel , BB King said guitar playing was a conversation and SRV never was at a loss for the next thing to say.
Yeah it's really hard to put into words sometimes!
BB was very articulate ,because that is a great way of putting it. saw him 3 times. nobody plucked or caressed a string like BB KING. and I mean nobody .I had a bootleg of SRV in Houston. he mimicked BB for kicks. ''you done lost yer good thang now'' is the tune .I played a portion (those riffs) for folks who were players ,and they thought it was BB.
Stevie Ray and the late great Johnny Copeland how cool is that! The audience are lottery winners .
I can play the cords but stevie could play the music. He was a once in a lifetime type of player
chills everywhere.. this is just raw emotion.. don't want to speek about technique, this is just perfection to my ears.
Amen!
You won’t hear that anywhere in the world, EVER ...anytime
From anyone.
Stevie was truly beyond sublime; no words to describe this, really. There is a bit in this video when even Copeland (a great blues guitarist himself) just stands in awe.
Stevie was a nice guy behind the scenes. I had a friend who showed me a pic of herself with him after one of his concerts, next to her front door. After his performance she had no ride home, so he walked her all the way to her house to make sure she arrived safely. Can you imagine the conversation they had?
It looks like there a lot of varying opinions as to SRV's abilities and talent as a musician. I have listened to several interviews with extremely famous and well respected performers who stated he possessed qualities that they could not duplicate. I am fairly certain these musicians and producers are accurate in their assessment of his talents as a musician.
Yeah those are some very informed opinions!
Mike Genereux
Yeah, for example this particular performance is impossible to reproduce exactly. It's almost as if you can hear the space between the strings and the fretboard... make any sense? Have you watched any Philip Sayce....when he's on fire live it's worth a watch, I haven't watched him for a while but there is a couple of phone-filmed versions of a live gig at The 100 Club, one individual is in a better position for filming{stage right} but cuts off one bit abruptly. I shall have to search for it myself now!
;~) England
Hi John, my comment on his abilities was aimed more at his talent of the music flowing seamlessly from start to finish. Both BB King and Eric Clapton made mention of his ability to do this. BB King said that he was one of the very few musicians that possessed this ability or talent, whichever you prefer to call it. Both BB King and Eric Clapton said they are not able to play with this ability. With that being said, I am a fan of SRV he loved playing music of all genre's. He also knew that he was part of a team, and without those other members he would not have been able to accomplish what he wanted to do play music. No one is perfect, he had his demons and was strong enough with help to overcome them. He used to speak openly at his performances that his drug addiction almost killed. His abilities as a musician and a humble person only grew from overcoming what has been the deadly demise of all too many great musicians.
Absolutely....I mean all you have to do is listen. The way he rakes and flows in that first 8 seconds alone, as you said, is enough to make even the casual listener realize this is a very unique musician.
Oh yeah....not to mention he has the voice of a god as well.
Thanks for the fun vids ! Keep 'em coming !
How about Rory Gallagher's "Bull Frog Blues" live in Paris !!
Eddie Smith He was an exceptional musician, as well as an exceptional person. He loved to play music. My personal preference is the music that he and Double Trouble wrote, but he loved to play the music of all the people that influenced him. A reporter asked him why he played so much Jimi Hendrix, he wanted to know was he trying to be like him. Stevie's answer was simple, I like his music. He went on to tell him everybody knows there was only one Jimi Hendrix and everybody knows I am not him. He continued by telling him that by him playing Jimi's songs it would hopefully expose more people to his music. I believe that is the position he took on everyone whose songs he covered. In my opinion he was a great musician and person. If you have not seen him and Albert Collins at the presidential inauguration in 1989 on UA-cam Stevie is double toe tapping. Fun video to watch and listen to.
Stevie Ray will be copied by many but never duplicated.....once in a lifetime guitar player.....amazing.
Amen!
stevie ray vaughn live at el mocambo, Texas Flood. F"N EPIC. watch it NOW
Haha thanks dude!
El MOC. That's the best I have ever seen SRV play and I have been listening to him since Texas flood came out in the 80's.
I have countless times.
That's one of the must haves in ur collection. I just wish there was an upgraded blu ray disc with better audio.
Best performance of any song by any artist ever.
There was heart and soul and blues on that stage and something else...a resonance that was something else. Something that pulled the guitar out of the swamps and cotton fields and Chicago stages and Texas clubs and flooded our dopamine receptors. We got addicted to SRV. He was something
He is definitely my favourite guitarist of all time, purely because he was so clean, there's nowhere to hide.
Close friend of mine was the lighting guy for Johnny Winters . Until the end. I mean for years .... He met Stevie Ray Vaughan , said he was very humble guy . Did not fit the bill off stag , like he really didn’t get how good he was .... taken to soon from us for sure.. thanks
CZ 1always yeah he was so humble that he still would claim his brother Jimmie was better player. Jimmie is great but no where near Stevie
Stevie is truly amazing.... his own style, recognizable for sure..... Speak through his guitar, definately! I LIKE THAT!
It's sad that he left us so soon after he conquered his demons of alcohol and drugs. Truly one of a kind.
"Amazing set of Stevie Ray Vaughan playing with Johnny Copeland at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1985. SRV appeared in Montreux first time in July 1982 with his Double Trouble and brought to the attention of John H. Hammond, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Both concerts were later released on DVD "Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985" on Epic Records"
.
Thanks for sharing this with...everybody! You’re obviously a knowledgeable guitarist-everything you said is...bang on! One could be a student of (any) instrument, practice and study theory for years...but if that 'ONE' wasn’t born with 'the FEELING: natural rhythm, the strength to bend, hold, & make a guitar sustain a note with one's vibrato & have the EAR that enables each note ring true...blah, blah, blah. He had such incredible CONTROL of his guitar whether he was playing rhythm or soloing. I’m blessed to have seen one of his last shows. He was touring with Joe Cocker & I saw them in Vancouver, & his hat fell off during a great solo-which he picked up with the headstock of his Strat & flipped up back on without missing a beat. About one month later, SRV passed away. Thankfully, we have many recorded performances like this one. Thanks very much for sharing it!
No problem! Yeah he was taken way too soon, I really wish I had the opportunity to see him live, but I was a little late to the party which I blame my parents for! But like you said thankfully we have the videos and recordings.
I really love and appreciate your take on many of your observations on musicians. Phil, l want to say that besides the fact that you give really accurate feedback, it's easy to see that you yourself are a very humble dude blessed with humility. God bless you brother.
I’ve saw him live many times, living in Austin. He blew me away every single time. His ability to feel the music transferred to me. I could feel the emotion in every cell in my body.
Stevie was a individual. The world needs more.
One of my favorite guitarists ever. So amazing. So unique.
Your statements on a guitarist's feel is right on. It's what separates good from great. A guitar player you can identify in 3 bars: Santana, Hendrix, Garcia, etc. are truly special and a gift to the ears and soul. Great video brother!
28 years ago the end of this month (August 2019), Stevie returned to his Creator...he was a class act. Stevie...we all miss you. Rest son...you've changed to world in a very profound way. RIP
I went to a ZZ Top concert in Texas during the early 80's & SRV happened to the cover band out in front of ZZTop>> this man
burned the whole place down w/ more musical skills/abilities. He plays the music of 2 guitarist by himself & he made ZZTop
look bad? I was sold forever...... RIP SRV
Its easy to get mesmerized by his style and playing
Apart from his unbelievable playing,,, what a voice !!!!! 😍😍😍🎸👌🔥🔥🔥
Speed, technicality and soul is not only rare but is something you can't teach. He's one of only a couple that's ever lived with those qualities.