RIP SRV 8/27

[Firebird V]

8/27
- the sky is crying.... [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[sambencuda]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

I remember that day. What a bummer.

Jim

[jgcable]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

The greatest strat player that ever lived. Wait.. the greatest guitar player that ever lived. A monster in every sense of the word.

[Jim Shine]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

I remember I was watching the TV show Alien Nation when I first heard about it. I am not a SRV fan, but he sure did influence alot of guys. Sad he had to go out the way he did.

[Chuckracer]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

Well said Firebird V. Very well said.

I first saw Stevie at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix. I forget the year, mid eighties for sure, but it was before he hit big. I'd never heard of him but my girlfriend was insistant on checking him out. Seems she had good spidey-senses. We went in and had a seat among the 50 or so others that were there for a four-o-clock show.
This guy in a blazing red suit, black hat and a very batterd strat strolled out onto the stage with his hat tipped down over his eyes and mumbled something incoherent into the mic as the bassist and drummer fired up a bad ass groove. He stepped back and floored it and proceeded to rip my face clean off for an hour and a half of the most incredible emotional guitar playing I've ever heard. He had me jumping up and down clapping and screaming. He had me in tears. He wiped the floor with every one of us in the room.
When he was done, he again mumbled something incoherent into the mic and was gone.
I've never, ever been so utterly blown away before or since. It was unbelievable. I was a wreck for days.

Thank You Stevie for the music...R.I.P.

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

<font color="yellow">I was fortunate enough to have seen Stevie and Double Trouble live on April 8, 1988 in Maine. From what I have heard, this was right after he had been released from chemical rehab, and he was kinda spooked about being straight, so he wanted to play a small venue to see how it felt.

They played at a abandoned basketball court at the University of Maine at Orono, called "the pit".

Now, at this time, all I had really heard on the radio was I believe Scuttle Buttin' and maybe a few others, but I knew he was a great blues-rock guitarist.

Stevie simply RIPPED that night. He was NOT afraid of volume and for a trio, they were incredible live.

He opened up the show with Scuttle Buttin (which reminds me, I have to go back to Maine and pick my jaw up from the floor [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]). The entire set was incredible, and even more interesting when he did covers of Jimi Hendrix. The highlight of the night was Life Without You. During the bridge/free time section, he spoke of the evils of addiction...it was very honest and from his heart...speaking his tale.

I can't remember how long he played that night, it is a blur as it was 16 years now....but it was definitely a night to remember. The only way I can really possibly describe it is seeing a little kid watch a magician, just entranced.

Sadly, another memory I have of that night is the buddy I went with. Bill was one of my closest friends in high school, and after we had graduated high school, he had a fight with his girlfriend and killed himself in his apartment. I still remember his mom, Karen, calling me up and simply saying "he's gone, please come over" to me. I guess I will always remember that night seeing Stevie, the memory of Bill as he was, and fondly remembering our friendship.

Stevie was an incredible talent, every bit as technical and accomplished as many of yesterdays and todays players. He had speed, phrasing, a deep love for the blues, and impeccable bending ability. He is missed.

Thanks for reading my long ass post [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] </font>

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

I think I can relate to what Chuck said. I wasn't real big into the blues type of stuff, while I appreciate it for what it is. Having heard Stevies studio stuff, I thought it was only "pretty cool". Then one night I was flipping through the channels and landed on PBS and Austin City Limits was on, Stevie blew me away on how much better he sounded to me in a live environment, he was absolutely phenomenal. I had a very different level of respect for him since seeing that, I could only imagine how it would impacted me in a club with only 50 people in it.

RIP SRV

[VitaminG]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

don't forget that wicked vibrato too.

Thanks for sharing, Chuck &amp; Sam.

I never got to see him live, but I had devoured everything he'd released through high school, and bought just about every guitar mag that featured him. My family had moved to a small country town and an old friend of mine called from the city: "Dude, you heard about Stevie Ray Vaughan?" Now this guy wasn't really a fan, but I figured he'd heard about a new release or something &amp; with me now living in the sticks I hadn't heard about it, and he was calling just to rub it in. He tells me to go turn on the news. They played some footage of a Double Trouble show. It was the first time I'd ever seen Stevie on TV in this country. The news anchor reported that a helicopter carrying some of Clapton's entourage had hit a mountain. On board was guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. My heart broke.

[tonemonster]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

RIP SRV [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I will never forget the day he died. I wastaking a ride in the woods with my Dad and great uncle. We were looking for some good area for grouse hunting later in the fall. We had the radio on and they had it on the news that SRV's helicopter had crashed and he had died. It was a very sad day for music. ALthough I am not really able to play alot of his stuff unless I played for 8 hours a day, I usually pay a tribute to him on the anniversary of his passing. I tun the lights off in my studio/jam room and just leave the lights of my furmans and PA board to light the room with a lighted few beer signs I have in the room. I grab a small glass of whiskey, grab my strat, then I just sit and listen to his CD's while the strat sits silently on its stand. I have done this for several years now. Call me corney, but I like it. Its my way of remembering him.

Stevie was it man, he had the mojo....like no one else.

Tone

[surfdork]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

I saw SRV in Stillwater OK in '86, or '87 (I forget)
I was going to OSU, and had only been playing maybe 2 years. He did a gig at Gallagher-Iba Arena, and I was dumbstruck at how awesome he was.

I also remember the day I heard the news of the accident. Nearly drove off the road on my way back to start the fall semester at a different college. We drank many beers to his memory that night. Without question, one of, if not my favorite player.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

Stevie is not only one of my favorite guitarists but a big influence on me as a person too...I was reading this interview with his band after he had died, and one thing that struck me was how they said he was dedicated to helping other people after he cleaned himself up. That really struck a chord with me, and it inspired me to look into the field that I'm now studying in. Thank you Stevie!

[Shotgun]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard, and considering that I remember very little else that happened that year, that says a lot.

Rest well, Mr. V, but keep playing that motherfucking guitar like nobody's business.

Keith

[Firebird V]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

SRV is the only guitar player that has leads that make the muscles in my stomach twist when I hear them... It is wierd.... When it's over it feels like I just did 1000 crunches! I get butterflies and nervous feeling... Hard to explain...

Great stories guys. Keep them coming!

[txcharvel]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

Man, the most emotional player I've ever heard...period.

When his guitar cried, I cried, when it screamed I screamed. Man, nobody can bend a note with a mean vibrato like SRV.

I think I will go downtown today and take a picture of Stevie's statue to post here.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

Re: RIP SRV 8/27

First thing I thought of when I woke up this morning,can't beleive he's been gone so long,SRV was &amp; still is a huge influence,I'll be listening to him all day &amp; when I finally get home tonight I'll be playing my 3sc Charvel strathead &amp; thinking of Stevie,he is missed.....always!!RIP SRV!!Chucksplatter