Top Ten Songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan

After enjoying a good run in the 60's, the blues drowned into obscurity once again amid the electronic beats and disco halls of the 80's. Then came a white boy from Texas who could pick up a guitar and play rock-tinged blues like no other. Here was the soul of a true bluesman, and the Stevie Ray experience was an incredibly intense one. Like Jimi Hendrix was to the 1960's, Stevie Ray was the blues hero of the 1980's. Though his career was tragically short-lived, his music has been anything but.

Pride and Joy

This is Stevie's signature song, standard blues intricately infused with sizzling rock riffs and a soaring solo reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix's trademark use of harmonics. Stevie brings that spontaneous, fiery energy into 'most all of his performances, especially in this one, creating a wild explosion of Texas blues that took the world by surprise. Having done extremely well among rock and blues circles alik, it was this song that catapulted Stevie's brand of blues from obscurity and onto the pinnacle of the greats.

Texas Flood

Also the title of his first and breakthrough album as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble in 1983, Texas Flood is a more traditional blues tune originally written and recorded by bluesman Larry Davis in 1968. Stevie brought such passion to this song that so proudly proclaimed his Texas roots.

Wham!

From his earlier work on Texas Flood, this track is but an electrifying prelude to the guitar prowess of this white bluesman from Texas. The speed, veracity and spontaneity form an explosion of searing artistry that is enough to give you goosebumps. Throughout his career, he offers up several sizzling live performances of this track, wildly executed like only he can, Stevie-style.

Little Wing

This is a cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic, with Stevie's personal touches written all over it. It's hard enough to do justice to Hendrix masterpieces, but Stevie turns out such a solemn, moving version that can blow even the staunchest Hendrix purists away. This is much longer than Jimi's original, and the lyrics are not sung, giving way to an achingly intense, purely instrumental experience. Few could ever convey as much expression from the subtlest shifts and whimpers to the mindblowing, soaring wails as Stevie's guitar. He never played this song the same way twice, and it's a more than fitting tribute to the great master himself. No doubt about it, Stevie would've done Jimi proud.

Couldn't Stand the Weather

Also the title of his 1984 album, this was Stevie's sophomore effort with Double Trouble after his breakthrough record Texas Flood. It did not disappoint, and it made the world believe that a white boy from Texas could play a mean blues like no one before him has.

Change It

From his 1985 album Soul to Soul, this is a beautiful, more laid-back track that exemplifies how Stevie adds his own touch to every piece of music he performs and transforms it into his own. Originally written by fellow Texan Doyle Bramhall, he explains how it was to record the song: "The guy who wrote it was playing rhythm and he plays it like (Stevie demonstrates a simple guitar rhythm). So, I thought, you know, it needed more than that but he's a great songwriter, and a great drummer, and great singer. But I think it needed a little more than what it had." And from there we have another Stevie Ray Vaughan classic.

Life Without You

This is one of Stevie's more tender, poignant moments, both as a composer and as a bluesman. No other instrument could cover every single point on the emotional spectrum and speak volumes more beautifully than his guitar. This is a searing ballad whose every note emphatically tears into your ears and finds its way to your heart, a testament to the powerful, deep soul that is at the heart of his music. Even on the verge of the worst period in his impending struggle against substance abuse, Stevie shows the world that a great musician still is, a great musician.

Crossfire

This is taken off the album In Step, which was Stevie's triumphant comeback album after several years of floundering through bouts of drug and alcohol addiction. The album title is an allusion to the (12 step) rehabilitation program for alcoholics and most of the tracks were in reference to his battle against alcoholism and his struggle to stay on the sober track.

Tightrope

This is another classic taken from the album In Step, where Stevie sings of the recovery program he undertook while battling out alcoholism and drug problems. In the madness of it all, he perfectly sums up his struggles "walkin' the tightrope…"

The House Is A Rockin'

This rockabilly hit perfectly captures the trademark passion and intensity with which Stevie mesmerizes his audiences. His energy is so contagious that no artist could ever quite replicate the touch that Stevie brought to every song and performance. The wonderfully light shuffle between his guitar and the piano is reminiscent of 60's blues, from which he drew much of his inspiration. This rounds out a triumphant reemergence from his personal demons with the album In Step, and cements Stevie's legacy as one of the blues' greatest torchbearers, a giant even among the heroes who inspired him to pick up the guitar.