Ziggy Stardust? Paul Shaffer, bandleader, Late Night with David Letterman: There was a lot of excitement surrounding Stevie and a lot of people from MTV were there to see him play. When Bowies camp moved to New York, Epic set up two industry showcases with Bryan Adams at the Bottom Line on May 9 and 10. tapes were in someones garage in South Austin. Fed up with the situation, Vaughan quit the band on the eve of the tour, while Bowie was unreachable on vacation, and was quickly replaced by Earl Slick. Stevie Ray Vaughan used a custom set of GHS Nickel Rockers Strings that he helped to design. He always felt bad about that, but I know Muddy would have understood. Hes remembering me saying after hearing Stevies first sparsely noted solo, Why didnt we just get Albert King? That was my first thought, but I regretted saying that almost instantly after realizing how carefully Stevie was listening and respecting the space. When Lenny was asked not to attend, things got personal: Anything thats an affront to my wife is an affront to me. As musicians, our sensitivities are much greater, and if youre in an altered state, then that awareness is distorted, and business decisions feel personal. David and I talked for hours and hours about our music, about funky Texas blues and its roots. Most guitarists would have played the game and worked their career. Hearing that sound on the radio was real cool. Vaughan,. Vaughans camp and label were debating if it would serve the album better to have Stevie out promoting the record, or to be featured on a very high-visibility tour with Bowie. That is a sacrilegious thought, so rehearsal was canceled, to Bowies chagrin. He felt black, culturally. There was a big debate whether Stevie should do the tour with Bowie, which would elevate his profile but was at odds with him doing what was best for his own band. Shannon: For a long time, he was honestly torn up that he wasnt black. The first time I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan was seeing Lets Dance on MTV, and I was jumping out of my seat screaming, Who the hell is playing guitar?. When Bowies camp moved to New York, Epic set up two industry showcases with Bryan Adams at the Bottom Line on May 9 and 10. Chesley spun a story: macho Texas guitar slinger tells poofed-up limey to fuck off. From Texas Flood by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort, with an epilogue by Jimmie Vaughan. Stevie and the Bowie band convened for rehearsals in Las Colinas, Texas, near Dallas in late April 1983. Recalls [Double Trouble drummer Chris] Layton, The phone rang at three in the morning, and this quiet English voice said, Is Stevie Vaughan there? I said, Damn, who is this? This is David Bowie. Im thinking, You mean, the Thin White Duke? You could have dropped Stevie in a ghetto anywhere and hed get along just fine. He was not about to blow that off to play on Davids tour. Stevie asked me to try and negotiate him back onto the tour, and I tried, but they already had Earl Slick on the payroll. We arrived at the airport, and Earl Slick was already there to replace him. The accident has been hailed preventable since, and the music world was never the same. The next night, Vaughan was playing the same bar when Jackson. David Bowies on the phone! They talked for a while, and then Stevie said that Bowie asked him if he wanted to cut some tracks in New York for his new record and maybe join his band for a world tour. Jimmie Vaughan appeared with special guest Gary Clark, Jr. and performed two songs in front of the memorial. Plus, dude! The first time I heard Stevie play was when he played my gold-plated hardware Fender Stratocaster, about twenty minutes before he heard Lets Dance in the Power Station Studio C control room. That was his approach to life. She said, Look at that! Lennys intensity was not something Bowie would tolerate, and she and Stevie were doing a lot of drugs. I was astounded. Chesley was gung ho about that happening, and he thought it was a money problem, but it was not about money. To hear blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan tell it, it was also a new beginning, that morning last fall when he suffered a nightmarish breakdown in the middle of a European tour. David Bowie frequently told the story that when he first showed Nile Rodgers what Stevie Ray Vaughan could do, Rogers wasn't impressed. Texas Flood was not yet released and the band was back in their van touring clubs when they first saw the Lets Dance video, featuring Bowie miming Vaughans guitar solo. He was going to remain true to the blues, and we were going to work with him. We knew it! Stevie was up right on top of the speakers to hear every little pop. Tommy, Cutter, and I conference-called Chesley [Millikin, Vaughans manager] to discuss this, and he said gruffly, Dont bother me! We saw it on the TV of a little club, and Stevie was furious. It was a serious thing to walk into a club and hear that solo booming. I have to go quit this tour. I was like, Are you kidding? And he said, No. I was driving, and Lets Dance came on the radio. He never had a stereo, and I had a good one, and we were all anxious to hear it. Stevie Ray Vaughan's lead guitar work on David Bowie's Let's Dance served as his introduction to the world, particularly his outro solo on the title track. Carlos would just take over, and we worked around it. At the start of every session, Id have someone take everyones lunch order so it would be ready for a short break. Clearmountain: He worked incredibly fast, immediately cutting three solos on three songs, and what we used were mostly first takes. He had all these last-minute negotiations. He just wanted me to play with him." He was amazing to watch. McEnroe: Stevie blew the doors down. There he was playing his Albert King licks on the number-one record in the world. Also: programs for listening, skins, covers, music news, karaoke and what else! Everything changed for him when he found out there were no opening shows. What if Bowie is traveling on an off day and youre trying to play a club in the last city? Were all guns for hire, and I needed Stevie to understand that he would be comfortable working with me, that hed be able to dig in deep and improvise. When Vaughan composed the guitar work for David Bowie's music, he created a fresh sound to the composer's music. It didnt take me long to realize Stevie was something pretty special. That sounded fine to SRV. Its crazy enough that, in the synth-happy early Eighties, Stevie Ray Vaughan had a top-20 hit with a Strat-fueled, 12-bar-blues shuffle called Pride and Joy. Even more bizarre is that, that same year, his raunchy Albert Kinginspired bends graced a bona-fide mega-hit, David Bowies jittery Lets Dance, which spent a solid three weeks at the top of the charts. We were on the bus getting ready to fly to Europe, and I looked out. On May 21, 1983, the Austin American-Statesman wrote about Stevie leaving the Bowie tour. I remember thinking, I just hope this all works.. Seeing Stevie that first time was like seeing the Police at their peak or seeing a phenomenal Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen show. Album zasahuje do nr Rock, Blues a Blues Rock. His masterful ability is the deciphering factor in why he had David Bowie and Eric Clapton queueing up to work with him. Stevie Ray Vaughan . Tommy and I were very happy. I felt chills running down my spine. I asked Carlos what was going on in Spanish, which we used as code, and he replied in Spanish, Stevies manager was trying to get more money or have him open up, and they shot it down. Stevie brought a knife to a gunfight, going up against New York guys who make tours for the Rolling Stones. Bowie's Facebook page revealed the horrible news Sunday evening, writing, "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer." The. Thats like cold blackmail, and its just bad management skills, but I never place things on management because the artist knows everything. What that really meant to him is hard to say, but some of that could have started with things he said about growing up, being a scrawny little kid, pushed around a lot. You should know that were about Bowie, the greatest superstar in the world. Alomar: The bags are packed, and suddenly he aint coming. 1. He was not about to blow that off to play on Davids tour. David Bowie & Stevie Ray Vaughan : David Bowie & The Astronettes : David Bowie & The Hype : David Bowie & The Lower Third David . We played it in the control room, looked at each other and winced, and I said, Lets fix that. But David said, No. That was bigger news than if hed done the tour. Having a parallel tour makes sense as a goal, but there are built-in conflicts, including logistical ones. Die grte Sammlung berhaupt! Stevie Ray Vaughan became the biggest new star in the blues and an overnight guitar hero after the release of his 1983 debut album Texas Flood.But Vaughan played on an even bigger hit album that same year; he was the lead guitarist on the sessions for David Bowie's commercial comeback Let's Dance, and was originally slated to tour as part of Bowie's backing band. External links. It aint gonna work, brother. Chesley felt like Stevie had really helped relaunch Bowies career and they were disrespecting him, treating him just like another sideman. Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan On the early morning of Monday, August 27, 1990, American musician Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, at age 35. The idea of us opening some dates fell through. Stevie was not one bit intimidated. But the late guitarist wasn't too pleased when the song's video came out and Bowie was spotted playing along to it. By Steve Appleford, Matt Hamilton. Bowie told me about this amazing new guitarist that he had heard in Montreux that he thought would be great for the albums solos. We knew it! Stevie was up right on top of the speakers to hear every little pop. It was not inconceivable that the tapes could have been forgotten, and we couldnt allow that. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). I want everyone to be happy, but we cannot continue moving forward if you keep raising the threshold for our tolerance. Bowies Serious Moonlight tour, which would kick off May 18 in Brussels, Belgium, and end in December in Hong Kong was set to be a huge sensation. Vaughan had hit albums with his band before the 1989 release of In Step, for which he earned a Grammy. So Bowie came to me and said, Im having problems. My reply to that is always the same: never create a problem where there is no problem. He now plays in two NYC-area bands. We all understood each other, and we loved to jam during downtime, playing blues and Mustang Sally and just blowing. The Bowie tour would keep him on the road for a year, keeping him from promoting his own album. At the end of the section, theres a chord change, and he lands on the wrong note, so it sounded a little dissonant. Charlie Comer handled that situation like a genius, finding a way to capitalize on the story and play it to Stevies advantage. You just dont play that card to David Bowie. Alomar: Stevie was at the pinnacle of his coming out; everything he had worked on for so long was about to happen, with his own album release riding the wave of Lets Dance. Bowie's management decided to let Stevie open select dates on the tour. Bath Davids original pitch was presented as, Stevie should come and play on my record and world tour. When they played the record in Texas, the DJs would always say, And hes our own Stevie Ray Vaughan. For me, it was such a proud moment. Stevie just had his Strat, a cord, and a Super Reverb amp, which stood out because so many guitar players at the time would bring in multiple racks and huge pedal boards. Chesley and [Vaughans publicist] Charlie Comer held a beef against David Bowie till the end. People wanted to know who this unknown guitar player who told David Bowie to take a hike was. Its just a devastating, landmark moment in recorded history. Overall, there was no finagling of anything on Texas Flood; it was about as live and true to a performance as it could possibly be. David Bowie died on January 10, 2016 at the age of 69, after meeting Vaughan at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He hit everyone with something so strong it spun their head. He never had a stereo, and I had a good one, and we were all anxious to hear it. Shannon: There werent many people except us telling him that hed made the right decision. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Hodges: Stevie was doubting doing the Bowie tour, and I was backstage at the Bottom Line reassuring him that it would help set the stage for his career. He did all his solos in a day or two. Meanwhile, Chesley was pressuring Stevie tremendously: Stevie, youve got to do this tour with Bowie!, There was talk about them opening shows and playing club dates late at night and on off days. It was an exciting take that! He also recorded with his brother Jimmy. One day, Stevie said he cant make a rehearsal because he was in mourning. Sunday would've been Stevie Ray Vaughan's 67th birthday. His guitar playing really jumped out and got peoples attention. I told him man-to-man that the star here is David Bowie, and his fans might discover you and your new release, but history suggests they wont. Most guitarists would have played the game and worked their career. But the late guitarist wasn't too pleased when the song's video came out and Bowie was spotted playing along to it.2019-08-05 Tommy, Cutter, and I conference-called Chesley [Millikin, Vaughans manager] to discuss this, and he said gruffly, Dont bother me! is a word, but it doesnt tell you everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEn3BPsXTbU, Edi Johnson: Lenny was causing a lot of problems, and someone called Chesley and said, Get that woman out of here.. Working with him was a breeze. Photo credit: Don Hunstein/ Sony Music Entertainment, As tensions grew between Vaughans and Bowies camps, Epic was gearing up for the release of. I said, Im really sorry for your loss. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Advertisement Vaughan had just finished a jam session with members of Eric Clapton's touring group. Ungracious is a word, but it doesnt tell you everything. The collaboration started simply enoughafter Bowiesaw Vaughan perform in Montreux and asked him to play on his new record. There he was playing his Albert King licks on the number-one record in the world. That was bigger news than if hed done the tour. Lenny [Vaughans wife] felt that Stevie wasnt getting his due, and she went to the rehearsal with the paper, walked right up to Bowie, and threw it down at his feet. I was. Dazu Audioprogramme, Skins, Covers, Music News, Karaoke und vieles andere!! Stevie Ray Vaughan (1990) One of the greatest guitar players (and a former six-string player for David Bowie), SRV died in a helicopter crash (not a plane crash) in 1990 after the chopper crashed . Working with him was a breeze. I cant tell him to play a minor seven flat five or ask him to do scale-wise progressions. It aint gonna work, brother. It's also got the album's healthiest serving of SRV; he solos in the middle, adds Albert King-style bends throughout and then solos near the end of the song. Bowies wearing white linen gloves, and Stevie said, That motherfucker shouldnt be pretending to be playing shit he wasnt playing! He couldnt understand why Bowie would do that. The title song was a number-one hit around the world, and for the first time, Bowie became an international superstar commensurate with his critical acclaim and influence. Stevie Ray Vaughan performs in Chicago on February 17, 1984. Vaughan met Bowiewho died January 10, 2016, at age 69at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He just played it faster. "Let's Dance"and the album of the same nameis notable because it served as the worlds introduction to Vaughans dynamic fretwork. We were in New York doing stuff around the Epic deal and suddenly got word that Stevies off the tour and were going back to Texas. wrote about Stevie leaving the Bowie tour. Not only would they not allow Double Trouble to open for Bowie, but Stevie couldnt give interviews about his album while on tour for Bowie. . Bowies wearing white linen gloves, and Stevie said, That motherfucker shouldnt be pretending to be playing shit he wasnt playing! He couldnt understand why Bowie would do that. were mine. He did all his solos in a day or two. Its perfect. He liked dissonance, and he loved first takes. We want to hear it. And it sounded better every time! I have my own band and our own record., Layton: Stevie said, They wanted to try and control what I could say or not say about the record and about me. Thats really crossing a line with Stevie Ray Vaughan, so he wanted to have a talk with David, and he was told David was on an island and couldnt be reached. I came home to see Stevie and Lenny standing in front of my house holding a test pressing of. Stevie Ray Vaughan; Sting; Saafelden Jazz Festival Highlights; Saalschutz and Der Tante Renate; Saath Saath; Sabaton; Sabbat; . Layton: Tommy and I were just sitting here in Austin, on salary, wondering what would happen. Alomar: There are many places where wives and children are not allowed, and anything interrupting the rehearsal will not be tolerated. Vaughans departure came at the very last minute as the bus was loading up to take everyone to the airport for the start of the world tour. Al Staehaley, bassist in Spirit and an Austin lawyer who represented Vaughan early in his career: Stevie asked me to try and negotiate him back onto the tour, and I tried, but they already had Earl Slick on the payroll. I want everyone to be happy, but we cannot continue moving forward if you keep raising the threshold for our tolerance. Davids original pitch was presented as, Stevie should come and play on my record and world tour. The bus took off without him, leaving SRV on the sidewalk with no idea what to do next. Worse, Bowie didn't want the young guitarist doing any press for his debut album, Texas Flood, which was about to come out. In past lives, he was GWs managing editor and online managing editor. Rodgers: Stevie was not one bit intimidated. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Bowie tapped him to perform on his 1983 album, Let's Dance, which produced the smash hits "China Girl" and "Let's Dance," both of which featured Vaughan. Skrillex Continues Singles Streak With Bobby Raps-Assisted Song Leave Me Like This, Michael Jackson Biopic Taps Antoine Fuqua to Direct, Van Conner, Screaming Trees Co-Founder and Bassist, Dead at 55, Rebecca Black Talks Creative Reintroduction Behind the Scenes at Sick to my Stomach Video Shoot, Amanda Bynes Plots First Public Appearance Since End of Conservatorship. We would use either the best of the two tracks or do a quick comp [comping tracks means to edit parts together from different takes]. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time A guitarist named Stevie Ray Vaughan who had been creating a loud buzz on the blues circuit in Texas, would become heavily responsible for part of the success of the Let's Dance album. People wanted to know who this unknown guitar player who told David Bowie to take a hike was. Back in Austin, as Stevie made plans to go to New York and record with Bowie, the band and engineer and producer Richard Mullen worked on the Jackson Browne tapes recordings for Texas Flood made at the singer-songwriters L.A. studio at Riverside Sound, where Vaughan recut most of the albums vocals. I called Stevie at Las Colinas and said, I dont know whats goin on, but I dont think its gonna happen. I felt something was amiss and told Stevie that. You certainly dont hold everything up when everybody is downstairs getting ready to go to Brussels to do the first gig because you want to renegotiate your contract. All Rights reserved. The soon-to-be guitar hero was spotted by Bowie after Vaughan and Double Trouble performed at Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1982. He was none too pleased. He said, Well, thats not a bad idea. Expecting Stevie to get back in a milk truck after that run with Bowie seemed ridiculous, so we thought that wed better up the ante and try for salvation. Chesley spun a story: macho Texas guitar slinger tells poofed-up limey to fuck off. A legend. I probably hadn't been so gung-ho about a guitar player since seeing Jeff Beck with his [pre-Yardbirds] band, the Tridents. Lenny had made herself an unwanted presence at rehearsals, and Millikin was playing hardball with Bowies managers, who grew irate about a sideman trying to dictate terms. Some even say that he was a genius. It would be great if Double Trouble came, too, and opened the shows. But it was really an insinuation as opposed to a real invitation. He made the most incredible sounds and was the sweetest guy. SRV was slated to hit the road with Bowie to promote Lets Dance in May 1983but Texas Flood was about to come out. 0. I thought it was amazing to have a real blues player. But the late guitarist wasn't. In turn, Vaughan closed out his 1983 by jamming with his lifelong hero Albert King on the show In Session on the Hamilton, Ontario, public television station CHCH. Its just a devastating, landmark moment in recorded history. There was a part of the show where Stevie was supposed to walk down a ramp, and they wanted him to do these choreographed moves, but hed walk exactly the same normal way every time. ", Of Bowie, Vaughan said, "To tell you the truth, I wasn't very familiar with David's music when he asked me to play on the sessions. Bowie offered Vaughan the lead guitarist role for his 1983 stadium tour, but he turned him down, preferring to play with Double Trouble. Why Stevie Ray Vaughan Turned Down a David Bowie Tour, Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Among those in attendance were Mick Jagger, John Hammond Jr., Johnny Winter, Cheap Tricks Rick Nielsen, and tennis player John McEnroe, ranked number one in the world and a huge star often seen out on the town. Among those in attendance were Mick Jagger, John Hammond Jr., Johnny Winter, Cheap Tricks Rick Nielsen, and tennis player John McEnroe, ranked number one in the world and a huge star often seen out on the town. What kind of access is he going to have to the press? This custom set was called the CU-SRV. David Bowie, the barrier-breaking British rock musician and actor, has died at the age of 69, just days after releasing a critically . It was pretty incredible to witness. Go over to Sams and send it up. They packed it in dry ice, and I drove it to the airport. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). So Bowie came to me and said, Im having problems. My reply to that is always the same: never create a problem where there is no problem. A musical chameleon. "I told him man-to-man that the star here is David Bowie," Alomar said, "and his fans might discover you and your new release, but history suggests they wont. Lets Dance went on to sell seven million copies, making it by far his most successful album. Alomar: He was going to remain true to the blues, and we were going to work with him. Originally, Eric Clapton would be in the helicopter, but he gave up traveling. The song brought Vaughan's singular guitar work to the masses and his pure blues licks were positively subversive. All concerned want him on the tour.. The thought was doing a David Bowie tour will heighten awareness, and I was very candid when he asked me about this. SRV is notorious for using heavy gauge strings with a thick tone . After watching SRV's performance, Bowie exclaimed, "I can't believe what he did." It wasn't until much later that Vaughan realized how much Bowie was a fan of his older brother, Jimmie, a successful musician. We did Stevies guitar solos and a lot of Davids final vocals after the band tracks were done. Ambient Black Blues Blues-Rock Classical Compilation Contemporary Country . Layton: The advertising and advance on Texas Flood was Lets Dance, which stoked peoples interest and curiosity about Stevie. The Bowie tour would keep him on the road for a year, keeping him from promoting his own album. Chesley was gung ho about that happening, and he thought it was a money problem, but it was not about money. David Bowie and Stevie Ray Vaughan Highlights 9:14 David Bowie - Dallas Moonlight 1983 - Cracked Actor 3:21 David Bowie - Dallas Moonlight 1983 - Star, Soul Love, Hang on to Yourself 9:55 David Bowie and Stevie Ray Vaughan - Space Oddity 4:36 David Bowie 1983 Dallas rehearsals (audio).with Stevie Ray Vaughan 2:13:38 Everybody loved this Southern stranger from that moment on. A plan was proposed by to have Vaughan and his band Double Trouble serve as the opener on the arena tour to give them some exposure. When I heard Lets Dance, I thought, Well, this is real nice. Go over to Sams and send it up. They packed it in dry ice, and I drove it to the airport. She said, "Look at. You only get one shot at your first album, and Bowies management are not suddenly gonna put their press team at your disposal. David Bowie was an icon. that's who revolutionized guitar back around 1960, not Stev. Vaughan and his band-mates specialized in blues rock, and Vaughan was a key figure in the blues revival of the 1980s. Not tomorrow, but today. That has only happened to me three or four times ever, and probably not for anyone in between Duane Allman and Stevie. Home / D / David Bowie / David Bowie 1969-02-02 CD Chelsea Soundboard. He was none too pleased. Bowie had been an international figure for a decade and was embarking on the tour and album that took him from the worlds top alt-rock star, into the real A list team. Jimmie Vaughan: Charlie Comer handled that situation like a genius, finding a way to capitalize on the story and play it to Stevies advantage. It wasnt really the way things went, but it was the right way for his career to be spun. You only get one shot at your first album, and Bowies management are not suddenly gonna put their press team at your disposal. I thought it was amazing to have a real blues player. Continues to influence musicians today. moment. He thought it was just a Albert King Jimi Hendrix. Having a parallel tour makes sense as a goal, but there are built-in conflicts, including logistical ones. Nile Rodgers, producer, David Bowies Lets Dance: Almost all the musicians and engineers on Lets Dance were mine. And then Stevie was told that he couldnt mention his own band or music in interviews.