James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan
(born March 20, 1951) is an American blues guitarist and singer from Dallas, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Significant influence upon Jimmie Vaughan's style came from Freddie King, who advised him personally; from Albert King and B. B. King; as well as from Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Jimmie says that he and his younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan studied Johnny "Guitar" Watson more than any other single guitarist.
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JIMMIE VAUGHAN TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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Jimmie Vaughan Tickets 7/12 | Jul 12, 2024 Fri, 8:00 PM | | Jimmie Vaughan Tickets 7/16 | Jul 16, 2024 Tue, 7:30 PM | | Jimmie Vaughan and The Tilt-A-Whirl Band Tickets 7/21 | Jul 21, 2024 Sun, 7:30 PM | | Jimmie Vaughan Tickets 8/1 | Aug 01, 2024 Thu, 7:30 PM | | Jimmie Vaughan Tickets 8/2 | Aug 02, 2024 Fri, 7:30 PM | |
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History
In the late 1960s, Jimmie Vaughan and Paul Ray were playing at an East Austin club when future blues legend and
Austin, Texas, native
W. C. Clark sat in on bass guitar with the younger Austin locals. Clark was on tour as a member of the
R&B Joe Tex Band at the time. After playing the session with Vaughan and Ray, Clark changed his mind about Austin blues having died, and two weeks later he left Joe Tex and moved back to Austin, where he then went on to develop his reputation as the "Godfather of Austin Blues."
[1]
In the 1970s Clark formed several Austin bands with various names, which included as members Jimmie Vaughan, Jimmie's brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan,
Lou Ann Barton,
Billy Gibbons and
Angela Strehli.
In a chance meeting in the late 1969 in Ft. Worth, Jimmie's band opened for The
Jimi Hendrix Experience. A very young 18 year old Jimmie Vaughan loaned Jimi Hendrix his Vox Wah pedal. Hendrix broke it, and gave Vaughan his touring Wah pedal. Jimmie still has it, and uses it to this day.
Jimmie Vaughan developed his own easily recognized personal style. He formed the band
The Fabulous Thunderbirds with singer and harpist
Kim Wilson, bassist Keith Fergusson, and drummer Mike Buck. (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. 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 Jimmie's younger brother achieved commercial success).
The Fabulous Thunderbirds got a new contract in 1986, and made several albums with a more commercially popular sound and production style. Jimmie left the band in 1989, and made his first — and last — "duo album,"
Family Style
, with his younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Before the album's release, Stevie Ray died in a helicopter crash in
East Troy, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1990. The album was released a few days after the tragic accident. The artist listed on the album was "The Vaughan Brothers." The album was light, blues-influenced rock, with Jimmie singing on several tracks.
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.
Jimmie is close friends with
Dennis Quaid. They worked together on the film
Great Balls of Fire.
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.
Jimmie loves classic and custom cars. He is an avid car collector. Jimmie has had many of his custom cars, and
hot rods on display in museums, and many car publications.
Awards
Grammys
- 1990 Contemporary Blues Recording: Family Style
with Stevie Ray Vaughan
- 1990 Rock Instrumental Performance: "D/FW" with Stevie Ray Vaughan
- 1996 Rock Instrumental Performance: "SRV Shuffle" with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, and Art Neville
- 2001 Traditional Blues Album: Do You Get the Blues?
Discography
With Fabulous Thunderbirds
- The Fabulous Thunderbirds
(1979)
- What's the Word
(1980)
- Butt Rockin
(1981)
- T-Bird Rhythm
(1982)
- Tuff Enuff
(1986)
- Hot Number
(1987)
- Powerful Stuff
(1989)
Vaughan Brothers
Solo career
- Strange Pleasure
(1994)
- Out There
(1998)
- Do You Get the Blues?
(2001)
- On The Jimmy Reed Highway
(2007) with Omar Kent Dykes
Recent activities
Vaughan continues to perform. He has also 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.
[2] Vaughan also opened for Ron Paul's keynote address at the Rally For The Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 2, 2008.
References
- Stevie Ray Vaughan followed by W. C. Clark Blues Revue, Austin City Limits, 1990
- Ron Paul Rally at University of Texas Draws Crowd of 4,000 — Ron Paul 2008