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Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to the questions I have been asked week in and week out for the past 13+ years. Some of these subjects may be treated in more detail on other pages in this website.

MERCHANDISE

I want to make and sell SRV T-shirts, artwork, etc.

 

 

What can you tell me about SRV items for sale on the internet?

You need permission from the Estate of Stevie Ray Vaughan for new products. The executor is Jimmie Vaughan. It is highly recommended that you consult with an attorney regarding your rights as an artist. My understanding is that an artist may create an original work of art which incorporates Stevie's name or likeness, but may NOT reproduce, market, publish or distribute copies or prints of that artwork without permission from Stevie's Estate, regardless whether they are sold or given away.  

My observation is that most of the SRV items for sale on the internet are illegal, unlicensed merchandise and forged autographs. I watch the major internet auction site regularly, and in my opinion 95% of all SRV autographs, concert posters, pins, stickers, guitar picks, signs and other miscellaneous items are unlicensed, illegal or forged items. Buyer beware. If you want to buy investment grade SRV memorabilia, be very careful who you buy from. See also my comments on the Collectibles pages of this site and in The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan for other collecting tips.

VALUES & AUTHENTICITY
How much is my "stuff" worth?

&

 

Can you take a look at this and tell me if it is genuine?

For several reasons, I no longer make free appraisals or give opinions on authenticity of other sellers' merchandise. I have provided an analysis of the factors involved in valuing and authenticating memorabilia in The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan. Some of that information can be found in the Collectibles pages of this website.

If you have an SRV collection that needs to be appraised for insurance purposes, I will provide a written estimate with statement of my qualifications, and sworn testimony if necessary, for a reasonable fee. It is a professional service just like a jewelry or antiques appraisal. If the items were purchased from me, I will provide an updated appraisal at no charge.

If you are looking for a buyer for your memorabilia, I am happy to respond to your offer to sell SRV or other blues / rock memorabilia you have for sale, or try to find a buyer for you. 

As for authentication, the bottom line is that if you have a reasonable doubt, don't buy it, because the seller hasn't satisfied you regarding the item's authenticity.

BOOTLEGS & OTHER UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
Where can I get bootlegs, "imports," MTV Unplugged, etc.? I do not make referrals to bootleggers for a number of reasons, including that I cannot vouch for the quality of the products (especially video) or the honesty of the dealers. In other words, you can't get them from me, and I do not tell people where they can get them.
Why haven't they released ... ? VIDEO: We would all love to see various of Stevie's television appearances and professionally recorded concerts released for purchase. But a TV station typically negotiates the right for an initial broadcast and perhaps the right to rebroadcast the program/ concert a limited number of times over a limited time period. But, they almost never have a right to market and sell concert recordings or even programs they produce themselves.  For example, VH-1, to my knowledge, no longer has the right to even broadcast the Legends special about Stevie because their rebroadcast rights ended after three years. Why didn't they negotiate a longer term? Maybe budget, maybe their focus is keeping their content fresh, or maybe that is the longest term they could negotiate from the dozens of rights owners involved in making a documentary, or maybe they were short-sighted.  Any and all of the following may have rights, and may or may not want to grant rights for any number of personal or professional reasons: the writers, the producers, the station, each of the artists, the record companies, the management companies, the Estate of SRV, the licensed merchandisers, the actors, the publishers, the copyright owners (which may be numerous) etc. You can't just ask "why isn't this released" - it's not that simple.
     AUDIO: The same issues are involved here, but a record company is a business, and the record company's focus is going to be on the market as a whole, not just the hardcore fans. They will never release all the things we think are worthy - it's just not going to happen. 
JOINING
How do I join the fan club? You don't. There is no longer any requirement to join the fan club. The web site has taken the place of the subscription newsletters. I do not have any photos or other material to send out for free. The few items I give away are distributed on the fan club Tours.
GEAR
What amps, guitars, effects did Stevie use? How can I get his tone? See the Gear page of this website. I cannot answer other gear and technical questions.
HOW TO ORDER MEMORABILIA & BOOKS
How do I order books & memorabilia? Click here or on the Ordering Instructions links on the Book and Collectibles pages. There are several pages of collectibles for sale / trade on this site. However, I no longer offer hundreds of rare collectibles for sale. When the current inventory is gone, I am getting out of the resale part of the hobby.
BOOK  
When will Dan Forte's authorized biography be out? A publication date has not been announced. 
MOVIE
Is there going to be an SRV movie? Miramax Films planned a movie based on Forte's book (still unpublished) with Robert  Rodriguez to direct. To my knowledge, Rodriguez has not publicly commented on the project since 2001.

VH1 was working on a TV biopic, but the project was shelved many years ago.

See the News page for updates. 

# 1 / MUSEUM
Where are Stevie's guitars, etc.?

 

 

Is there an SRV museum or display anywhere?

Jimmie Vaughan has all of Stevie's guitars, the gold coin rings and the Coptic cross which Stevie wore. Rumors of the sale of Stevie's guitars are false. In particular, the persistent rumor that Randy Bachman bought Number One is false. My understanding is that Bachman either purchased an expensive replica of Number One or an SRV Signature Stratocaster prototype. UPDATE: Stevie's guitar called "Lenny" was auctioned for charity on 6-24-04, bringing over $623,000. The buyer was Guitar Center. See the News page regarding the theft of some of Stevie's guitars in 2007.

A year-long exhibition of perhaps the most important collection of SRV memorabilia (other than the guitars Jimmie has) began in May 2006 and ran through mid-May 2007. See the Museum page for future exhibitions.

ALPINE VALLEY
Is there audio or video of Stevie's last performance? No video of the last show has ever surfaced to my knowledge. There is a poor quality audience video of the August 25th show, and a couple of audience-made audio recordings of the August 26th show. Rumors of the existence of a soundboard tape of the last show persist. In preparation for the SRV box set, Sony searched for but could not find any soundboard recording of the last show.
OTHER FAN CLUBS 
Are there any other SRV fan clubs? It depends on your definition, but not to my knowledge.  
STEVIE'S HATS
Where can I get a hat like Stevie's? Texas Hatters made Stevie's hats. You can find them in Lockhart, Texas.
SRV MEMORIAL & GRAVESITE
How do I find ...? There are sightseeing maps for Austin and  Dallas in my books, The Stevie Ray Vaughan Anthology  and The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The SRV Memorial is in Austin on the shore of the Colorado River (known as Town Lake as it goes through town). The park is called Auditorium Shores.

Stevie's gravesite is in Laurel Land Cemetary, about 10 miles south of downtown Dallas at the intersection of IH35E and Laurel Land Road. For lack of a better place to put it on this website, here's a photo of Stevie's original marker, before the grave was moved in 1993. PHOTO

JANNA
What is Janna, Stevie's former fiance, doing now? Janna continues her modeling career and has done some acting as well. She was in an episode of The Street on Fox TV, and in the Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn movie The Out of Towners as the woman Martin chases in the park. 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
What are  Chris, Tommy and  Reese doing now? Double Trouble released their first CD in February 2001, featuring guest appearances by Jonny Lang, Kenny  Wayne Shepherd, Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Susan Tedeschi, Dr. John, Doyle Bramhall II, Charlie Sexton, Malford Milligan, Reese Wynans and others. They all continue to be in high demand for studio work and concerts. In 2003 they played several concerts with John Mayer. Tommy and Uncle John Turner did several Krackerjack reunion gigs, and in 2005 teamed with Greg Martin (KY Headhunters) and Bruce Bowland of Krackerjack to form The Nonprofit Prophets for a gig at the Dallas Guitar Show.
JIMMIE
Is Jimmie Vaughan on tour? Does he have another CD coming out? Does he have a fan club? etc.  See jimmievaughan.com
DOYLE 
What is Doyle Bramhall doing now? Doyle has released his second CD, Fitchburg Street. He produced the Indigenous CD Circle, and CD's by Chris Duarte  and Marcia Ball. Doyle's Is It News CD in 2007 was nominated for a Grammy. See doylebramhall.com.
LEE
What happened to Lee Hopkins who did the Fan  Club newsletters? Lee is my middle name, which I used for fan club business from 1993 to 1998. I have returned to using my first name, Craig, for all purposes.
AUTOGRAPH 
What is the "c/s" that Stevie sometimes put at the end of his autograph? It stands for the Spanish phrase "con safos." Apparently there are different meanings depending on the context. Rival gangs add c/s to their mark in the opposing neighborhood as if to say "We were here on your turf," similar to giving someone the finger.  It is also used by Latino painters and muralists to say that in defacing my work or name you are bringing shame to yourself. This is putting it nicely. Basically it is meant as sort of a protective mark. Guitar Player Magazine ran an article on the Tailgators, Don Leady and Keith Ferguson about 1987,  in which Keith said it means, "Safe, here to stay." Keith and Stevie were friends, so that was probably the interpretation Stevie would have heard.   Thanks to Marta Lozano, JJ Vicars and Rene Carrillo.
BOOKS
Are there any copies left of your first book, The Stevie Ray Vaughan Anthology?

 

Is The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan book still available?

Only 3102 copies of the Anthology were printed, and I occasionally have copies for sale. It will not be reprinted.

There are less than ten copies ofThe Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan available. There were 2967 copies printed.  Check the collectibles pages of this site.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day By Day, Night After Night will be published in June 2008 and can be ordered now from this website. It is the most comprehensive biography of Stevie to date.

STEVIE'S JEWELRY / WARDROBE
Does anyone sell crosses like Stevie wore late in his career?

What kind of coin rings did Stevie wear?

Where can I get clothes like Stevie wore?


Go to the ART page for info about Stevie's jewelry.

Print or patterned clothing is not made year after year. Typically, a patterned shirt is only made once, and when stores sell out, they are never manufactured again. The patterned shirts Stevie wore, such as on Austin City Limits and MTV Unplugged, have not been in stores in over 16 years. The Mexican poncho was purchased at a restaurant vendor's booth which is long gone.

BLOOD
What is Stevie's nationality, ethnicity?

What time was he born...?

First, get your terminology correct. "Nationality" refers to which nation a person belongs by origin, birth or naturalization. Stevie was born a US citizen. Now, even if you didn't get the question right, the answer is that he was caucasian. I have never seen any reference to Stevie's ancestors having any other ethnic mix. No Native Americans or Hispanics. It seems these questions arise mainly because of the shape of Stevie's nose, which was primarily the result of childhood surgery rather than ethnicity.

I've been asked several times the exact time Stevie was born. Apparently this is for some "astrological" purpose. It is my understanding that Stevie's mother does not appreciate people trying to ascribe things to her son based on astrology, and personally I agree with her. I'm not trying to be rude - you are entitled to believe whatever you believe, but it is not my place to further such pursuits.

PHOTO
Where can I get that photo of Stevie on the beach with his arms outstretched, which appears near the end of the VH-1 Legends program? I finally located the original photo and it appears for the first time in print in the new book, Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day By Day, Night After Night
DVD
Why hasn't the "Pride and Joy" compilation of music videos been released on DVD? It isn't long enough to stand on it's own for DVD release. I don't know why it hasn't been appended to other releases, or why additional promo videos haven't been added to make an hour-long DVD. UPDATE: In 2007 Sony finally released this material on the Pride and Joy DVD.
JANNA, MARTHA, LENNY
[Insert your personal question here] Janna, Martha and Lenny are not public figures. There is no personal information about them on this site with the exception of some professional information about Janna's modeling and acting. I do NOT answer personal questions about them.
ACOUSTIC
Are there more recordings of SRV on acoustic guitar?

To my knowledge, Stevie performed the following acoustic sets or songs: 10-14-85 Berkeley CA 20-minute set; 8-86 American Caravan, "Oreo Cookie Blues" with Lonnie Mack; 1-30-90 MTV Unplugged, 3.5 songs. The three completed songs from Unplugged appear on the SRV box set and on the Pride and Joy DVD.

COLD SHOT VIDEO
Who is the woman in the "Cold Shot" video? Margaret Wiley. She was a popular actress at Esther's Follies theatre on 6th Street in Austin. From Esther's website: "Margaret was our wild and wonderful star from 1980 - 1999, one of our major writers, creative choreographer and costume/prop maker extraordinary [sic]. She appeared in a Steve Ray Vaughan video, built floats for Ann Richards Inauguration Parade, and made all our wigs towering beehive masterpieces. Chi Chi LaBamba, Margaret Wiley's memorable bombshell character, always started the show after the News Medley by going out into the audience and picking out three contenders for "Hunk of the Night", asking them questions, and letting the audience decide who was the hunkiest to dance with her in sombrero and maracas." She was voted Funniest Person in Austin in 1988; she died in 1999.
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
Why hasn't Stevie been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

How do we get Stevie inducted? 

Eligibility begins 25 years after an artist's first recording is released. Apparently, Stevie's recordings in 1971, 1977 and 1979 do not count (perhaps because they were only singles), and Texas Flood in June 1983 is considered his "first," making him eligible in 2008 for the induction ceremony in March 2009. 

From the HOF website: "Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year."

My opinion is that Stevie's merit is clear and unquestionable. However, each year there are more than enough worthy candidates, and at 5-7 per year, there is a significant backlog already. Even I would be hard pressed to argue that Stevie should immediately jump to the head of that line of worthy candidates, and I believe if Stevie were alive he would be putting the names of many other artists ahead of himself. All one has to do is read Stevie's interviews to see his respect for those who blazed the trails before him.

By the way, don't forget it takes a lot of money to operate the Rock Hall = Musuem, and the induction ceremony is their largest fundraising project. So commercially successful (and living) artists are always going to have a leg up in the voting.

It is therefore my opinion that petitions are a waste of time. Why beat your head against a political wall. If the HOF wants Stevie in, fine. But the people who vote are not likely to be swayed by a petition. It is not a public or fan-based process. I do hope that when the time comes, Double Trouble makes it, as well.

Here's an interesting link: http://www.futurerockhall.com/artist.php?artist_id=Stevie_Ray_Vaughan

 
   

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!

1. If you have a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar pick, tortoise shell color with full name in gold lettering on two lines, please contact me with details on where the pick came from. I am trying to determine whether these picks were made before or after Stevie died.

2. On which track(s) did Stevie play on Roy Head's Living For a Song album in 1985? Stevie is credited as a guitar player in the liner notes, but I don't hear him on any of the tracks. The liner notes do not say which musicians played on which tracks. 

3. What was Stevie doing between leaving the Nightcrawlers in the Fall of 1973 and joining the Cobras at the end of 1974? I know for a couple of months he was in Doug Sahm's band, but there is almost a year for which there is very little information about Stevie's activities.

4. To my knowledge, the only documented instance of Stevie giving away one of his guitars was a Rickenbacker prototype he gave to Hubert Sumlin (it was later stolen from Hubert). Also, to my knowledge, the various guitars on display around the world or sold at auction since Stevie died are all merely guitars that Stevie signed (at best) (except "Lenny"). If anyone knows of any documented incidence of Stevie giving away a guitar, please let me know. For example, the guitar which resembles Stevie's Hamiltone which was on display at the Peterson museum in Los Angeles was not Stevie's Hamiltone. Jimmie told me so.

See also the WANT LIST page for items that I want for my collection.