This Week in Texas Music History: Stevie Ray Vaughan
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This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll remember a musical icon who once sold soda bottles in order to buy guitar strings.
Stevie Ray Vaughan died on August 27, 1990. Born October 3, 1954, in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Vaughan followed his older brother Jimmie to Austin in the early 1970s. At first, Vaughan struggled to make a living playing music, and he sometimes sold soda bottles for money to purchase guitar strings.
Soon, however, he caught the attention of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and other influential people in the music business. Vaughan’s 1983 debut album, Texas Flood, was a critical and commercial success and helped launch his brief but remarkable career.
Stevie Ray Vaughan sold millions of albums, toured worldwide, and won numerous awards, including six Grammys. He died at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash following a concert with Eric Clapton in Wisconsin.
Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a child star who took control of her own musical career.
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