Alan Paul

First off, I'm a HUGE Stevie Ray Vaughan fan. Loved his music and style (and, OH GOD...that tone) for as long as I can remember. Is, was and always will be my favorite guitarist.

With that being said, going into this book with a decent amount of knowledge on SRV through the years, I was happy to see several things. The closeness of friends and outsiders to Stevie and the people who really helped him turn his life around, and their stories, were very touching. Also, hearing first hand accounts from Shannon, Layton, and Bramhall(s) provided a new view of what life and the road felt like. Overall, the interviews and quotes were done rather nicely, however, in multiple areas of the book, you would have one quote from one person and go right into the same quote from another. Personally, I think that became a little redundant.

Major downside the book, and the reason I only gave it 3 stars...lack of the author's narrative. Other than a few spots in the book (usually at the beginning of a new chapter), the author fails to really provide any story line. Almost all of this is done through the quotes, leaving the book to feel like an extended Guitar Magazine tribute. As much as I enjoyed most of the interviews, more backstory with the author putting his own personal touch to the book would have been nice.

My favorite part of the book, however, does stem from one particular interview...that being with Jimmy Vaughan, Stevie's brother. The loss of his brother, at a pinnacle time in their careers where they were really wanting to do more together, it was beautiful to hear the words of pride and loving from Jimmy...you can truly feel the heartbreak and loss in his quotes.

Overall, the book was informative and decently put together, however, I would have still liked to see a more personal approach from the author. Long live SRV!!!… (más)

Well-structured book about the life of Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) arranged in chronological order, including his childhood in Dallas, learning to play guitar, bands, the Austin music scene, rise to fame, albums, tours, management issues, drug and alcohol abuse, songwriting, relationships, and friendships. It is focused on the development of his artistic expression.

The authors are journalists. They have interviewed people who knew Stevie Ray well, along with some that bumped shoulders with him musically. They have strung together excerpts of these interviews into a cohesive account of major events in his life. Telling Stevie Ray’s story through the lens of the people who knew him works amazingly well in providing insight into what he was like as a person, his musical growth, damage done by his substance abuse, and the improvement in his life once he obtained sobriety.

Musicians will appreciate the technical details in this book, such as tuning the guitar a half step down and some of the techniques he used to coax expressive sounds from his guitar. Blues (or blues-rock) fans will enjoy the side stories of many blues artists that played with him or influenced his musical direction. Those dealing with substance abuse issues will find inspiration for recovery. There is something here for almost anyone interested in the life of a musical virtuoso.
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