Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Pride and Joy

Have you ever seen something that would usually be incredibly difficult made to look easy, marveling at how on earth they managed it? Like watching a magician, or seeing a man eat a hundred chicken nuggets in fifteen minutes (trust me on this one, it is a lot harder than it looks). Both of these things have something in common besides being able to make things disappear – absolute immersion in your craft to the point of what looks like lunacy from the outside in. 

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1954, Stevie Ray Vaughan had that lunacy to a T. He basically couldn’t have started playing music any earlier. He got his first guitar at seven, before playing professionally at eleven(!) years old. Like, playing in bars and nightclubs, by the way, not just his school band. His dedication and gifted talent meant he was turning the heads of seasoned superstars before he even turned twenty, pushing him toward his own short but hugely impactful career. Granted, it wasn’t the only thing he started out early with. When you consider he started drinking at the age of six, it’s astonishing he even lived long enough to do anything, let alone reintroduce the blues to a new generation.

After he was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 1990, Vaughan’s legacy as the “second coming of the blues” remains airtight to this day; his mastery of the craft was as good as any of the people who inspired him could have hoped to be and he is remembered as such by many of those names. So, here’s the plan to pay tribute. Step one – load up this Rock Song of the Week pick on your device of choice. Step two – adjust the volume to maximum. Step three – hit play. It’s as easy as that, folks.