No Idea How, But I'm Just Now Finding Out About Stevie Ray Vaughan's Brother Jimmie
You'll never believe what happened to me today, but I was driving to the office in my 2016 Nissan Altima that is perfectly fine for a single 32 year old dude who doesn't actually give a shit what kind of cars people drive. Spotify was playing a mix of JJ Grey and Mofro, Warren Hayes, and more southern style blues guitarists when I heard a guitar sound and voice that sounded oddly familiar smack me in the eardrums.
I looked at my stereo system that is connected to my phone because I can totally afford a car with a bluetooth system. Quite the luxury, and said bluetooth system said "Jimmie Vaughn" was playing and I was really digging it. Now I know quite a bit about Stevie Ray Vaughn, including the well known fact that he died in a helicopter accident at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin about 30 years ago. I'm also very publicly on record as saying I think he's the GOAT guitarist.
So I assumed do to the style and voice that was blasting through my 2016 Nissan Altima's stereo that it was perhaps his son? I was way wrong. It is his OLDER brother, and I felt compelled to share him with the masses in case there is just one (1) person out there who, like me, wasn't familiar with his work. If that's the case, this blog's duty has been carried out, because this dude is awesome just like his younger brother was.
Here's a Spotify playlist, if the first three paragraphs tickled your fancy:
The first song I listened to was "Six Strings Down" and the lyrics are so goddamn sad:
In the middle of the night
Six strings down
On the heaven-bound flight
Got a pick, a strap, guitar on his back
Ain't gonna cut the angels no slack
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
See the voodoo chile
Holding out his hand
I've been waitin' on you brother
Welcome to the band
Good blues-stringin'
Heaven-fine singin'
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Been lis'nin' to your playin'
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord they called
Another blues-stringer back home
Albert Collins up there
Muddy an' Lightnin' too
Albert King and Freddy
Playin' the blues
T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim
Little Son Jackson and
Frankie Lee Sims
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord…
Kinda gut wrenching lyrics, but also a great ode to some of the all time greats. Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Frankie Lee Sims and others that inspired SRV's style, which bred some of the all time GOAT musicians like SRV and Chuck Berry.
TL/DR - throw on some Jimmie Vaughan while you're pounding the spreadsheets and sales calls today. You shouldn't be disappointed, and if you are, you can take a fist and fuck yourself.
PS and COMPLETELY off topic, go download and subscribe to Red Line Radio and make sure you listen to tomorrow's interview... we had Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman in the office (lol) to go 12 rounds with chief. Why and how this came to be, no idea. It's not like we didn't sell Stan Bowman clown nose shirts or anything. It's without question our most anticipated interview of all time.