Texas Flood

Starred review from June 3, 2019
In this definitive oral history, Paul (One Way Out: The Inside Story of the Allman Brothers Band) and musician and teacher Aledort trace the life and music of guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–1990). Drawing on hundreds of interviews with Vaughan’s friends, family, and fellow musicians, the authors detail the guitarist’s rise from a working-class background in Dallas; his formative experiences in countless bands in Dallas and Austin; his national breakthrough success in 1983 with his first LP Texas Flood and subsequent years of touring, which led to an increase in his drug and alcohol abuse; and his final years of sobriety before his death in a helicopter crash in 1990. The authors excellently capture how Vaughan, in the words of bassist Tommy Shannon, “always played as if there was no tomorrow.” The interviews with fellow musicians and engineers provide insightful takes on Vaughan’s work, especially Texas Flood, which was recorded live after Jackson Browne loaned the band his studio and before Vaughan even had a record contract. (“There was no finagling on anything,” says engineer and producer Richard Mullen. “It was about as live and true to a performance as it could possibly be.”) Fans will be thrilled with this intelligent, informative, and enlightening biography of the guitar great. (Aug.)Correction: Steve Ray Vaughan's last name was misspelled in a previous version of this review.

Starred review from June 1, 2019

An incendiary performance, a late-night air crash, an artist silenced, and an enduring legacy. The stuff of rock star myth and legend, but then Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-90) was a legendary guitarist, writer, and performer, and as Paul (One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band) and journalist and performer Aledort ably describe, many so-called rock star myths were the stuff of everyday life to Vaughan. This riveting biography draws on firsthand accounts from Vaughan's band Double Trouble, knowledgeable insiders, and close friends and family. The anecdotes are nonstop, and the conversational narrative has the feel of one long Vaughan solo. Dig out those recordings. You'll want to hear them all again as you read the stories behind the songs and performances. The epilog was written by Vaughan's older brother Jimmie (an incredible guitarist himself), and the appendix details the gear Vaughan used. Vaughan deserved this book, and, as it should, the content will stay with readers long after the last note has sounded. VERDICT It's been 29 years since Vaughan's passing; this is the book fans have been waiting for.--Bill Baars, formerly with Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Many music journalists consider Stevie Ray Vaughan the last of the true blues guitarists. Since he died in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990, his music has never been out of the limelight. In fact, the legend of Stevie Ray has grown. Adopting an oral history format, Paul and Aledort have compiled a biography that features a large cast of fellow musicians and admirers such as Vaughan's older brother and guitarist Jimmie as well as Alligator Records founder and president Bruce Iglauer, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt, and many more. The book also includes interviews with Vaughan himself. I got my first guitar when I was seven, he once said. As soon as he heard the blues, he was smitten. To Vaughan, playing the guitar was a religious experience. Texas Flood also covers the Austin music scene, Vaughan's slow progression as a front man, his drug and alcohol addictions, and his band Double Trouble. When he died, his life was coming together on both professional and personal levels. A must for Vaughan and blues fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 15, 2019
An oral biography that illuminates how far the inspiration of the virtuosic guitarist extends beyond music. In the late 1980s, Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) was on the verge of drugging and working himself to death; he was forced to face the fact that if he didn't change his ways, he wouldn't last much longer. So he changed--his habits, perspective, relationships, routines, and music--and became as obsessed with living healthy and following 12-step precepts as he had been with scoring dope. He recorded an album with his older brother, Jimmie, his idol, one of the many musicians who had followed Stevie's example by getting clean and sober. Sadly, when he had been sober for a few years, living happier and playing better than ever, he died in a helicopter crash following a concert, when the weather should not have permitted takeoff. He was just shy of 36 years old. Like co-author Paul's previous oral history, One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band (2014), this account is exhaustive, drawing extensively from interviews with those who knew Stevie best--his brother, band mates, and the other musicians who witnessed his rise and fall--with the exception of his ex-wife. The narrative chronicles his lifelong obsession with his instrument, his transformation from Steve Vaughan the geek kid to Stevie Ray the guitar god, the ways in which his band was more like a family, and the reverence he displayed toward his idols. Paul and Aledort's interviews also underscore Vaughan's profound influence on other musicians, first as a blues revivalist who brought the music back into the mainstream and then as a testament to a sobriety that enriched his artistry. It's a tragedy that the story had to end the way it did, but the authors show why the story still matters almost 30 years after his death. Deep reporting makes this a treasure trove for anyone interested in the blues and Vaughan's place within popular music.

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