American musician (1954-1990). Born and raised in
Dallas, Texas, Stevie Ray began playing
guitar as a child, inspired by his big
brother Jimmie. After dropping out of school to
concentrate on his
music, Stevie and his
band,
Double Trouble, played in
Austin, becoming a very popular regional band. They played at the
Montreux Festival, where Stevie Ray's playing caught the ears of
David Bowie and
Jackson Browne.
Wider success soon followed, as their
debut album, "
Texas Flood," proved a modest hit with rock fans and a massive hit with
blues fans. The followup album, "
Couldn't Stand the Weather," was even more
successful, with Stevie Ray's blistering cover of
Jimi Hendrix's "
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" garnering
rave reviews and adding to Stevie Ray's
fan base. Some fans even started talking up SRV as Hendrix's
equal.
Stevie went through a period of
addiction to
alcohol and
drugs, but he kicked his habits during a stay at a
rehab clinic. The album which followed, "
In Step," was the band's biggest success, earning a
Grammy and going
gold after only six months.
Stevie Ray died in a
helicopter crash after playing in a
concert in
Wisconsin with
Eric Clapton,
Buddy Guy,
Jimmie Vaughan, and
Robert Cray. After his
death, a number of
posthumous albums were released that proved even more
popular than his previous records, particularly "
The Sky Is Crying."
Stevie Ray has been credited with kicking off the
blues revival that marked the late
1980s and early
1990s, and many musicians, including older musicians who he considered
inspirations, still think of him as one of the best blues musicians ever.