Happy Birthday Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan, performing on Austin City Limits, 1989 Image: Scott Newton

Another musical legend and guitar powerhouse gone too soon, Stevie Ray Vaughan was born this day in 1954 in Dallas, Texas.

After a short but storied career in which he is credited with helping to renew mainstream interest in the blues, Stevie Ray died in a plane crash following a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin on August 27, 1990.

One of his best-loved cover songs, The Sky is Crying, describes how music fans the world over felt on that sad occasion.
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But let’s keep things upbeat today and celebrate this influential blues man’s soul-stirring music with a short playlist.

​Happy birthday, Stevie Ray!