Official Press Release
Originally Published October 5, 2000
LONG AWAITED 4-DISC BOX SET, SRV,
BY STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE
ARRIVES NOVEMBER 21st ON EPIC/LEGACY
3 CDs, plus a 4th DVD-Video disc, contains 54 tracks, 36 previously unissued
DVD-Video includes unaired/unissued performances from 1989 episode of Public
Television’s "Austin City Limits"
Bountiful 72-page booklet includes critical essays introduced by former Governor of
Texas Ann Richards, lifeline\chronology, extensive track annotations and personnel,
discography, chart figures, Grammy awards, and homages by more than 30 fellow musicians
"To me, he’s one of the greatest blues singers there ever was. I’m very sad because I wish he
were here. But his music will never die. He’s one of the greatest blues musicians that ever
picked up a guitar." – John Lee Hooker
"I think for a long time coming there are going to be a lot of frustrated guitar players trying to pick
up on Stevie’s stuff." – Robert Cray
Drawn from studio sessions, live performances, and rare tv and radio broadcasts, the new
4-disc box set from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, SRV, covers the years 1977
to 1990, chronicling everything from the band’s early sessions up through their penultimate
performance at Alpine Valley. The members of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band, Double Trouble,
consisted of Tommy Shannon (bass) and Chris Layton (drums), later joined by Reese
Wynans (keyboards) in 1985.
In addition to three audio CDs, this Texas-sized tribute also includes a DVD (digital video
disc) which features five never-before-released performances from public television’s "Austin
City Limits" from 1989, taped one week after Vaughan’s 35th birthday, and less than a year
before the gifted young guitarist’s life was taken away. These performances were captured
during the regular taping, but due to time constraints, were never aired. (Complete
track listing below)
SRV is a monumental, career-encompassing project that begins with a previously
unreleased track from 1977 of Vaughan playing lead guitar and singing lead with Paul Ray and
the Cobras ("Thunderbird"). The four discs cover virtually every year of his career (in depth, with
multiple tracks) right up to his next-to-last concert on August 25, 1990, at the Alpine Valley
festival in East Troy, Wisconsin ("Things (That) I Used To Do," "Let Me Love You Baby," "Leave
My Girl Alone"). On August 27th, at 1:00 a.m., the helicopter that was carrying Vaughan from the
festival back to Chicago crashed within seconds after takeoff.
SRV also boasts a richly-designed 72-page booklet, whose contents might serve as a
blueprint for future tribute packages to artists of comparable stature. In addition to lengthy
personal display quotes from Vaughan and the members of Double Trouble (bassist Tommy
Shannon and drummer Chris Layton), there are quotes from 30 fellow musicians including (in
alphabetical order, not in order of appearance): Lou Ann Barton, Jeff Beck, David Bowie,
Doyle Bramhall, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, W.C. Clark, Robert Cray, Dr. John, Joe
Ely, Billy F. Gibbons, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Mick Jagger, Eric Johnson, B.B.
King, Al Kooper, Jonny Lang, Lonnie Mack, Bonnie Raitt, Joey Ramone, Otis Rush, Doug Sahm, Carlos Santana, Joe Satriani, Charlie Sexton, Will Sexton, Kenny Wayne
Shepherd, Angela Strehli and Steve Vai.
The extensively-annotated booklet includes:
Track Listing (title, composer, producer, recording location, date, release information,
brief descriptive note)
Introduction by Ann Richards (former Governor of the State of Texas)
Chronology by Craig Hopkins
(from birth in 1954 to death in 1990)
"Mannish Boy" essay by Margaret Moser (of the Austin Chronicle, from childhood
through the formation of Double Trouble in 1978)
"Guitar Hurricane" essay by Alan Paul (of Guitar World magazine, in-depth overview of
career and recordings)
"The Secrets Behind Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Legendary Guitar Tone" by Andy
Aledort (interview with SRV’s guitar technician Rene Martinez)
"SRV, The Epic Years" by Jack Chase (recollections by former Southwest Regional
CBS Records Vice President and current Sony Music Southwest Branch Manager, based
in Dallas)
Musicians (lineups and personnel for every track)
Credits
Discography (starting in high school, including session work, sideman and special guest
appearances, and all Epic recordings)
Chart History (album #’s from Billboard 200 chart; singles/tracks from Billboard Album
Rock chart)
Grammy Awards
A rock and roll icon who lived and breathed for his audiences every night, SRV "Just roared
like a lion when he played guitar," recalls Joe Satriani of their first meeting at a Pier concert in
New York in 1988. "As soon as he hit the stage, he was reaching for the magic moment, right
from the beginning … He was just a screamer all the time."
With that in mind, this box set contains a wealth of live performances from every stage of
Vaughan’s career. SRV and Double Trouble are heard in myriad settings, from clubs like
Fitzgerald’s in Houston (1981) and Toronto’s El Mocambo (1982), to the Montreux International
Jazz Festival in Switzerland (1982) and Mardi Gras in New Orleans (1987); from Carnegie Hall
(1984), Philadelphia’s Mann Music Center (1987) and Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque (1989)
to MTV’s "Unplugged" sessions in New York (1990), and the fateful final concerts in East Troy in
1990.
If blues was the foundation of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s life, then
SRV offers ample testimony of his musical forefathers. In the course of its four discs, the box set gets around to
compositions by (or tunes made famous by), among others, Otis Rush ("All Your Love I Miss
Loving"), Guitar Slim (aka Eddie Jones, "They Call Me Guitar Hurricane" "Letter To My
Girlfriend," "Things (That) I Used To Do"), Albert Collins ("Don’ t Lose Your Cool"), Albert King
("Cross Cut Saw"), Larry Davis ("Texas Flood"), John Lee Hooker ("Hug You, Squeeze You" ),
Buddy Guy ("Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Leave My Girl Alone"), Howlin’ Wolf ("I’m Leavin’ You
(Commit a Crime)," "May I Have a Talk With You"), Elmore James ("The Sky Is Crying"), and
Willie Dixon ("Let Me Love You, Baby").
In a class all to themselves are Double Trouble’s treatments of several songs by
Vaughan’s idol and inspiration, Jimi Hendrix. These include "Manic Depression" (live at
Fitzgerald’s in Houston, 1981), "Little Wing/Third Stone From the Sun" (live at the CBS Records
convention in Honolulu, 1984), "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" (live at Carnegie Hall, 1984, and
"Austin City Limits," 1989).
SRV also samples a number of interesting collaborations, starting with Vaughan’s first
major appearance on a fellow bluesman’s album, when he joined Houston’s Johnny Copeland
on his LP, Texas Twister ("Don’t Stop By the Creek, Son"), recorded in 1982. The following
year, Vaughan joined another one of his idols, Albert King, for a videotaping of the Canadian
music television series, "In Session," their only known recording together. The music went
unreleased on record until last year’s In Session album was issued (including "Ask Me No
Questions" ).
The box set also features collaborations with Lonnie Mack ("If You Have To Know," 1984),
A.C. Reed ("These Blues Is Killing Me," 1984), Jeff Beck ("Goin’ Down," 1989), and Vaughan’s
brother Jimmie of the Fabulous Thunderbirds ("Rude Mood/Pipeline" at Mardi Gras, 1987; and
"Long Way From Home" from the Family Style album by the Vaughan Brothers, 1990).
SRV continues Epic/Legacy’s commitment to preserving and furthering the recorded
catalog of Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1999 this began with the album restoration project – which
included digital remastering, bonus tracks, new liner notes and photographs – for Vaughan’s
Texas Flood, Couldn’t Stand the Weather, Soul To Soul, and In Step albums, whose
simultaneous release was accompanied by a new compilation, The Real Deal: Greatest Hits
2.
In March 2000, Epic/Legacy released Blues At Sunrise, a scorching compilation of ten
‘slow blues.’ Included were two previously unreleased tracks (one live with Johnny Copeland at
the Montreux Festival, 1985) and another track that was making its first appearance on CD
("Texas Flood" from the Epic home video Live at the El Mocambo, same source as SRV’s "Hug
You, Squeeze You"). The compilation climaxed with a 15-minute live jam session with Albert
King on his title tune "Blues At Sunrise," from the aforementioned In Session album. Collectors
will be pleased to note that not one track has been duplicated from that CD on the new box set.
"A memorial to Stevie Ray stands on Town Lake," writes former Texas Governor Ann
Richards, "the section of the Colorado River that flows through downtown Austin. The memorial
is near the place where he played his last concert in Austin. It is a statue of Stevie Ray at ease,
standing there with his hand on his guitar, facing south. The statue is about eight feet tall –
literally larger than life. The size is appropriate because he was a giant to those who heard him."
Complete Track Listing for SRV
by STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE
(Epic/Legacy E4K 65714)
Notes:
* denotes previously unissued track.
^ denotes live performance.
# denotes previously unavailable on CD.
+ denotes guest appearance on another artist’s album
Disc One
1. * Thunderbird
Paul Ray and the Cobras feat. SRV
Austin 1977
2. * I’m Cryin’
soundcheck
Austin April 1979
3. * You’re Gonna Miss Me Baby
soundcheck
Austin April 1979
4. ^ They Call Me Guitar Hurricane
live, In The Beginning album (Epic)
Austin April 1, 1980
5. ^ All Your Love I Miss Loving
live, In The Beginning album (Epic)
Austin April 1, 1980
6. * Come On (Pt. III)
"Twine Time," KUT radio performance
Austin April 18, 1981
7. * Letter To My Girlfriend
"Twine Time," KUT radio performance
Austin April 18, 1981
8. * Lenny
"Twine Time," KUT radio performance
Austin April 18, 1981
9. *^ Don’t Lose Your Cool
live at Fitzgerald’s Club, Houston
Houston Oct. 14, 1981
10.*^ Crosscut Saw
live at Fitzgerald’s Club, Houston
Houston Oct. 14, 1981
11.*^ Manic Depression
live at Fitzgerald’s Club, Houston
Houston Oct. 14, 1981
12. ^ Texas Flood
live @ Montreux Int’l Jazz Festival
Montreux July 17, 1982
13. *^ Collins’ Shuffle
live @ Montreux Int’l Jazz Festival
Montreux July 17, 1982
14. Pride and Joy
Texas Flood album (Epic)
Nov. 24, 1982
15. *^ Love Struck Baby
live on "Austin City Limits"
Austin Dec. 13, 1983
16. #^ Hug You, Squeeze You
Live at the El Mocambo (Epic Video)
Toronto July 11, 1983
17. + Don’t Stop By the Creek, Son
Texas Twister album by Johnny Copeland (Rounder Records)
Nov. 1982
18. + Ask Me No Questions
In Session album by Albert King with SRV (Stax Records)
Hamilton, Ontario, Dec. 6, 1983
Disc Two
1. Scuttle Buttin’
Couldn’t Stand the Weather album (Epic)
New York Jan. 18, 1984
2. Couldn’t Stand the Weather
Couldn’t Stand the Weather album (Epic)
New York Jan. 18, 1984
3. Empty Arms
The Sky Is Crying album (Epic)
New York Jan. 18, 1984
4. *^ Little Wing/Third Stone From the Sun
live at CBS Records Convention
Honolulu March 15, 1984
5. + If You Have To Know
Strike Like Lightning album by Lonnie Mack (Alligator Records)
Dec. 1984
6. + These Blues Is Killing Me
I’m In the Wrong Business album by A.C. Reed (Alligator
Records)
1984
7. * Boilermaker
outtake, Soul To Soul album sessions
March 1985
8. Change It
Soul To Soul album (Epic)
March 1985
9. * Shake ’N Bake
outtake, Soul To Soul album sessions
March 1985
10. ^ Mary Had a Little Lamb
Live Alive album (Epic)
Montreux July 15, 1985
11. *^ I’m Leavin’ You (Commit a Crime)
live at MTV’s "Mardi Gras"
New Orleans Feb. 28, 1987
12. *^ Rude Mood/Pipeline
live at MTV’s "Mardi Gras", instrumental b/w Jimmie and Stevie
New Orleans Feb. 28, 1987
13. *^ The Sky Is Crying
live at Carnegie Hall
New York Oct. 4, 1984
14. *^ Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
live at Carnegie Hall
New York Oct. 4, 1984
Disc Three
1. *^ Lookin’ Out the Window
live at Mann Music Center
Philadelphia June 30, 1987
2. *^ Look At Little Sister
live at Mann Music Center
Philadelphia June 30, 1987
3. *^ Willie the Wimp
live at Mann Music Center
Philadelphia June 30, 1987
4. The House Is Rockin’
In Step album (Epic)
Feb. 10, 1989
5. *^ Crossfire
live at Tingley Coliseum
Albuquerque Nov. 28, 1989
6. Wall Of Denial
In Step album (Epic)
Jan. 31, 1989
7. *^ Dirty Pool
live on "Rock Lives" radio program
Oct. 1989
8. *^ Goin’ Down
live at Tingley Coliseum, with Jeff Beck
Albuquerque Nov. 28, 1989
9. *^ Rude Mood
live solo acoustic on MTV’s "Unplugged"
New York Jan. 30, 1990
10. ^ Pride and Joy
live solo acoustic on MTV’s "Unplugged"
New York Jan. 30, 1990
(feat. on The Unplugged Collection, Vol. 1 album - Warner Bros.)
11. *^ Testify
live solo acoustic on MTV’s "Unplugged"
New York Jan. 30, 1990
12. Long Way From Home
Family Style album by the Vaughan Brothers (Epic/Associated)
March 1990
13. *^ Tightrope
live recording
Houston March 1990
14. *^ Cold Shot
live recording
Houston March 1990
15. *^ Things (That) I Used To Do
live at Alpine Valley
E. Troy, Wis. Aug. 25, 1990
16. *^ Let Me Love You Baby
live at Alpine Valley
E. Troy, Wis. Aug. 25, 1990
17. *^ Leave My Girl Alone
live at Alpine Valley
E. Troy, Wis. Aug. 25, 1990
Disc Four – "One Night In Texas…" (DVD-Video features 5.1
Surround Sound Stereo and separate stereo mixes)
(all tracks live at "Austin City Limits" television show videotaping
in Austin, Texas, Oct. 10, 1989. Due to time constraints, these tracks were never aired. All tracks previously unissued in any
form)
1. *^ Program introduction
2. *^ May I Have a Talk With You
3. *^ Mary Had a Little Lamb
4. *^ Look At Little Sister
5. *^ Couldn’t Stand the Weather
6. *^ Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)