Like a sermon on a blues guitar…
‘LIVE AT MONTREUX 1982 & 1985’ is a double CD release due on Sony on 20th November by Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble. The 19-track CD features a 1,200 word foreword by David Bowie, who had the foresight to use Stevie on his world-wide smash from 1983, ‘Let’s Dance’.
Though the young guitarist’s performance at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland was booed and hissed by the crowd, at least one member of the audience was left particularly impressed. Impressed enough to rehearse Stevie for the ‘Serious Moonlight’ tour that followed the recording of the album featuring the incredible talents of Mr Vaughan.
Blues, blues, electric blues – The late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Unfortunately, seemingly due to events outside of both Stevie and David’s control, the blues man never played a note live with David. For the full story you’ll have to wait for the CD, but in the meantime here is an exclusive excerpt from David’s foreword:
“Stevie and I had drinks after the show and we talked quite a bit about his influences and American music in general. We got on immediately as we shared a love for the playing of Albert King amongst others and in my enthusiasm I gave him a full run down of my 45 and 78 record collection which spanned from early Red Prysock, Louis Jordan and the Alan Freed Rock and Roll band through Broonzy, Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf to British Old School like Bond, Mayall and Alexis Korner. I was deeply impressed with Stevie’s knowledge of and interest in British artists like John Renborn and Davy Graham, musicians that I would never have guessed from his playing that he would have had any interest in.”
Three years later, when Vaughan was invited back to headline ‘Blues Night’ at the festival, the crowd, now familiar with his group’s songs and albums treated him like the conquering hero.