Born: October 3, 1954 in Dallas, Texas.
Died: August 27, 1990 in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin.
His Story:
Stevie started playing guitar at age 8 and started playing around Texas around 1972. He formed Double Trouble in 1978 but didn’t become mainstream until David Bowie asked him to play on “Let’s Dance”. For the next seven years, despite struggling with drugs and alcohol, he saw his success grow and grow. In 1989, his fourth album In Step went double platinum and scored his first real hit. Sadly while taking a helicopter to a gig, it crashed due to foggy conditions and Vaughan was killed. His brother kept the flame alive by going through the vaults and releasing a few more records over the years.
Stats:
Records Sold: 16 million copies in the U.S.
Studio Albums: 4 (plus 2 posthumously).
Grammys Won: 6.
Fun Facts:
- Stevie appeared in the 1987 movie “Back to the Beach”. This movie starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and it was a new take on their beach movies of the sixties. Vaughan played alongside Dick Dale.
- Vaughan played some very interesting private parties including one for the Rolling Stones in 1982, as well as President George H.W. Bush’s inauguration party.
- Vaughan was a huge fan of other guitar players. So much so that he went as Jimi Hendrix to a Halloween Party in 1980 and could play every note from Derek and the Dominoes’ “Layla” album note for note.
- He famously played on David Bowie’s “Lets Dance” but he also played guitar on Don Johnson, of Miami Vice fame, album Heartbeat. He does the guitar solo on “Heartache Away” and “Love Roulette”. He was not involved in the only minor hit from the album “Heartbeat”.