Jimmie Vaughan

{{short description|American blues rock guitarist and singer (born 1951)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

|name = Jimmie Vaughan

|image = Jimmie Vaughan by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg

|caption = Vaughan performing in 2012

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|3|20}}

|birth_place = Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas, U.S.

|genre = Electric blues, blues rock, Texas blues, jazz blues

|past_member_of = The Vaughan Brothers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds

|occupation = Musician

|years_active = Late 1960s–present

|instrument = Guitar, vocals

|label = Epic, Shout! Factory, Proper Records, The Last Music Company

|website = {{URL|jimmievaughan.com}}

}}

Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan Jr. (born March 20, 1951)[https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2017/11/jimmie-vaughan-growing-oak-cliff-making-family-style-album/ Jimmie Vaughan on growing up in Oak Cliff, making 'Family Style' album], Oakcliff.advocatemag.com, retrieved April 7, 2018 is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas.{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Du Noyer|year=2003|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music|edition=1st|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=Fulham, London|isbn=1-904041-96-5|page=181}} He is the older brother of the Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was a founding member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant influence on Vaughan's playing style, including the "Three Kings" (Albert, Freddie, and B.B. King) and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.

Early career

Jimmie Vaughan was born on March 20, 1951, in Dallas County, Texas, United States, to parents Jimmie Lee Vaughan and Martha Jean Cook. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan attended L V. Stockard Junior High where on February 3, 1965, he first played before an audience in a group named The Pendulums, or the JSP's, along with Phil Campbell and Ronny Sterling."The Pendulums," L. V. Stockard "Panther Cry" student newspaper, Vol. XI, No. 2, May 18, 1965 Vaughan moved to Austin in the late 1960s and began playing with such musicians as Paul Ray and WC Clark.

In 1966, Vaughan joined The Chessmen after the death of original band leader, guitarist, and vocalist, Robert Patton. In 1969, The Chessmen opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Fort Worth, Texas. It was at this show that Vaughan lent Jimi Hendrix his Vox Wah-wah pedal which Hendrix ended up breaking. In return, Hendrix gave Vaughan his own touring Wah-wah pedal.

Jimmie Vaughan developed his own easily recognized personal style.{{Cite web|url=https://eventseeker.com/artist/23813-jimmie-vaughan|title=Jimmie Vaughan – Artist Profile|website=Eventseeker.com|language=en|access-date=March 24, 2020}} He formed the band The Fabulous Thunderbirds with lead singer and harpist Kim Wilson, bassist Keith Ferguson, and drummers Mike Buck and Fran Christina. (The original Fabulous Thunderbirds were all protégés of Austin, Texas blues club owner Clifford Antone). The band's first four albums, released between 1979 and 1983, are ranked among the most important 'white blues' recordings.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} These early albums did not sell well, so the band was left without a recording contract for a couple of years (during the time when Vaughan's younger brother achieved commercial success).{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} During this time, Vaughan played lead guitar on fellow Texas blues musician Bill Carter's 1985 album, Stompin' Grounds, also playing Carter's most well-known song, "Willie The Wimp",{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Bill-Carter-Stompin-Grounds/release/2565478 |title=Bill Carter (2) – Stompin' Grounds (Vinyl, LP, Album)|year=1985 |website=Discogs.com |access-date=May 29, 2014}} which would be introduced a year later to Stevie Ray Vaughan and played on live albums.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds got a new contract in 1986, and made several albums with a more commercially popular sound and production style. Vaughan left the band in 1990, and made his only "duo album", Family Style, with his younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2581}} Before the album's release, Stevie Ray died in a helicopter crash along with three members of Eric Clapton's entourage in East Troy, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1990. The album was released a month after the accident. The artist listed on the album was "The Vaughan Brothers". The album was light, blues-influenced rock, with Jimmie Vaughan singing on several tracks.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Solo career

Vaughan released his first solo album, Strange Pleasure, in 1994. The album contained a song "Six Strings Down" that was dedicated to the memory of his brother. He has continued his solo career since then. Vaughan's solo albums contain mostly blues-rock material that he writes himself. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing guitar on the tracks "He's Got A Key" and "Coatimundi". In 2001, Vaughan paid an installment on his (and the Fabulous Thunderbirds') debt to harmonica swamp blues when he contributed guitar to the Lazy Lester album Blues Stop Knockin.'

Since 1997 Fender has produced a Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster. Vaughan appeared in the 1998 released film Blues Brothers 2000 as a member of the fictional "Louisiana Gator Boys" blues band led by B. B. King. Vaughan was the third opening act for most of the dates of Bob Dylan's summer 2006 tour, preceded by Elana James and the Continental Two and Junior Brown.

Vaughan continues to perform. Shout! Factory released his first new album in nine years, Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites, on July 6, 2010.

Also in 2010, he appeared as a guest musician on Eric Johnson's album Up Close, and he played with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, BB King, Hubert Sumlin, and others during the Crossroads Guitar Festival.{{cite web|url=http://crossroadsguitarfestival.com/index.php/show-schedule |title=Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 Show Schedule |website=Crossroadsguitarfestival.com |access-date=March 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303095435/http://crossroadsguitarfestival.com/index.php/show-schedule |archive-date=March 3, 2012 }} He also performed on the episode of the TBS cable television show Conan, that aired December 22, 2010.File:Jimmie Vaughan with Eric Clapton and Gary Clark, Jr..jpg

Vaughan performed at the 11th Edition of the Rochester International Jazz Festival on Friday, June 29, 2012.

In 2014, Vaughan performed at the Mahindra Blues Festival in India alongside the Tedeschi Trucks Band.{{Cite web|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/mahindra-blues-festival-2014-lineup-announcement/|title=Mahindra Blues Festival 2014 Lineup Announcement|website=Rollingstoneindia.com |date=December 19, 2013|language=en-US|access-date=March 24, 2020}}

Vaughan appeared and performed as a guest on an episode of the PBS cable television show Austin City Limits, with the Foo Fighters, which aired on February 7, 2015. He and the Foo Fighters were accompanied on stage by another guest guitarist, Gary Clark, Jr., a native of Austin, Texas.

His 2019 recording, Baby, Please Come Home, was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2019/favorite-blues|title=Favorite Blues Albums | AllMusic 2019 in Review|website=AllMusic|access-date=December 24, 2019}}

Vaughan performed with Bob Dylan in Austin, Texas on April 6, 2024, as a guest guitarist. He replaced Doug Lancio on nine songs.

Personal life

File:JimmieVaughanCrossroads2007.jpg

Vaughan has a son, Tyrone Vaughan, who is also a guitarist.

Vaughan is close friends with Dennis Quaid. They worked together on the film Great Balls of Fire.

Vaughan loves classic and custom cars, and is an avid car collector. Vaughan has had many of his customs and hot rods displayed in museums, as well as featured in rodding and custom magazines.For instance, Street Rodder, 1/85, p. 55, and Rod & Custom, 4/00, pp. 88–91

Vaughan has been politically active to some degree. He endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul in 2008 and played before one of Paul's speeches at the University of Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.ronpaul2008.com/press-releases/265/ron-paul-rally-at-university-of-texas-draws-crowd-of-4000 |title=Ron Paul Rally at University of Texas Draws Crowd of 4,000 – Ron Paul 2008 |website=Ronpaul2008.com |access-date=December 8, 2011}} Vaughan also opened for Ron Paul's keynote address at the Rally for the Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 2, 2008. Vaughan appeared with Boz Scaggs & The Blue Velvet Band at the 2009 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Vaughan performed at Ron Paul's "We are the Future" rally in Tampa, Florida on August 26, 2012.

Vaughan was quoted as explaining that the death of his brother, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, devastated him to the point that he considered giving up playing guitar.{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Rachel |title=“I Still Can’t Believe That Stevie Got Killed”|url=https://guitar.com/news/music-news/jimmie-vaughan-nearly-quit-guitar-stevie-ray-vaughan-death/ |website=guitar.com |access-date=14 June 2025 |language=en |date=18 December 2024}}

Health

In Vaughan's later years, his declining health began to take a toll on his career. He suffers from stenosis{{Cite web|url=https://ctvstexas.com/local-blues-guitarist-jimmie-vaughan-is-still-strumming-along-after-heart-surgery/|title=Local Blues Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan is Still Strumming Along After Heart Surgery|website=Ctvstexas.com|date=March 27, 2023}} and has had three heart attacks; after his third heart attack in December 2022, he had quadruple bypass heart surgery.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O6_oKwTVuA|title=Blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan talks heartbreak after quadruple bypass|via=YouTube|date=March 23, 2023 }}

In May 2024, Vaughan announced that he was postponing all tour dates to undergo treatment for "a curable form of cancer."{{Cite web|url=https://cbsaustin.com/news/entertainment/jimmie-vaughan-postpones-summer-tour-to-undergo-cancer-treatment|title=Jimmie Vaughan postpones summer tour to undergo cancer treatment|first=Phillip|last=Pavelka|date=May 15, 2024|website=Cbsaustin.com}}

Select discography

= Singles =

1972: The Storm – "The Doo-It" // "Lost On The Ocean Part 2" (Connie Records)
1986: Jimmie Vaughan & Duke Robillard – "Cookin'" (Guitar Player Magazine [7" flexi-disc])

= Albums =

1979: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Girls Go Wild (Takoma/Chrysalis)
1980: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – What's The Word (Chrysalis)
1981: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Butt Rockin' (Chrysalis)
1982: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – T-Bird Rhythm (Chrysalis)
1986: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Tuff Enuff (CBS Associated)
1987: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Hot Number (CBS Associated)
1989: The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Powerful Stuff (CBS Associated)
1990: The Vaughan Brothers – Family Style [with Stevie Ray Vaughan] (Epic)
1994: Jimmie Vaughan – Strange Pleasure (Epic)
1998: Jimmie Vaughan – Out There (Epic)
2001: Jimmie Vaughan – Do You Get The Blues? (Artemis)
2007: Omar Kent Dykes & Jimmie Vaughan – On The Jimmy Reed Highway (Ruf)
2010: Jimmie Vaughan – Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites (Shout! Factory/Proper)
2011: Jimmie Vaughan – Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites (Shout! Factory/Proper)
2017: Jimmie Vaughan Trio – Live At C-Boy's [with Mike Flanigin, Barry "Frosty" Smith] (Proper/Last Music Co.)
2019: Jimmie Vaughan – Baby, Please Come Home (Last Music Co.)
2020: Jimmie Vaughan – The Pleasure's All Mine (The Complete Blues, Ballads & Favorites Sessions) (Last Music Co.) 2-CD compilation
2021: Jimmie Vaughan – The Jimmie Vaughan Story (Deluxe Edition, 5-CD set, with 1 x 12" vinyl LP, 2 x 7" vinyl singles, and a 240-page book) (Last Music Co.)

Awards

= Grammy Awards =

1990: Contemporary Blues Recording ‒ The Vaughan Brothers ‒ Family Style
1990: Rock Instrumental Performance ‒ The Vaughan Brothers ‒ "D/FW"
1996: Rock Instrumental Performance ‒ "SRV Shuffle"
2001: Traditional Blues Album ‒ Do You Get The Blues?

= Blues Music Awards =

2020: Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues-music-awards/|title=Blues Music Awards|first=Robin|last=McKay|website=Blues.org|access-date=May 4, 2020}}

References

External links

[http://www.jimmievaughan.com/ Official website]
[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jimmie-vaughan Jimmie Vaughan Interview] at NAMM Oral History Collection (2020)

Category:1951 births

Category:Living people

Category:American blues guitarists

Category:American male guitarists

Category:American lead guitarists

Category:American blues singers

Category:American blues rock musicians

Category:Electric blues musicians

Category:Musicians from Dallas

Category:Texas blues musicians

Category:Texas Republicans

Category:Singers from Texas