This remarkable blues guitarist was influenced by his older brother Jimmie Vaughan (of the Fabulous Thunderbirds), whose record collection included key Vaughan motivators such as Albert King, Otis Rush and Lonnie Mack. He honed his style on his brother's hand-me-down guitars in various high school bands, before moving to Austin in 1972. He formed the Nightcrawlers with Doyle Bramhall, then Paul Ray And The Cobras, with whom he recorded "Texas Clover" in 1974. In 1977 he formed Triple Threat Revue with vocalist Lou Ann Barton. She later fronted Vaughan's most successful project, named Double Trouble after an Otis Rush standard, for a short period after its inception in 1979. The new band also featured drummer Chris Layton and ex-Johnny Winter bass player Tommy Shannon.

Special Offer DVD

Stevie Ray Vaughan's Greatest Hits: Guitar Signature Licks Only £12.95

Producer Jerry Wexler, an early fan, added them to the bill of the 1982 Montreux International Jazz Festival, where Vaughan was spotted and hired by David Bowie for his forthcoming Let's Dance (1983). Vaughan turned down Bowie's subsequent world tour, however, to rejoin his own band and record Texas Flood with veteran producer John Hammond. Couldn't Stand The Weather showed the influence of Jimi Hendrix, and earned the band its first platinum disc; in February 1985, they picked up a Grammy for their contribution to the Blues Explosion anthology. Soul To Soul saw the addition of keyboards player Reese Wynans; Vaughan, by this point a much sought-after guitarist, could also be heard on records by James Brown, Johnny Copeland, and his mentor, Lonnie Mack. The period of extensive substance abuse that produced the lacklustre Live Alive led to Vaughan's admittance to a Georgia detoxification centre. His recovery was apparent on In Step, which won a second Grammy. In 1990, the Vaughan brothers worked together with Bob Dylan on their own Family Style, and as guests on Eric Clapton's American tour. Vaughan died in 1990, at East Troy, Wisconsin, USA, when, anxious to return to Chicago after Clapton's Milwaukee show, he switched helicopter seats and boarded a vehicle that crashed, in dense fog, into a ski hill. The Sky Is Crying, compiled by Jimmie Vaughan from album sessions, was posthumously released the following year.

Miniature SRV Strat
only £24.99 - Click Here to buy direct from UKguitarshop

This is the guitar that will always be associated with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Modified by Stevie, this guitar, just like it's owner was unique. The miniature version is based around Stevie's own guitar including the SRV scratchplate, Left handed tremelo system and gold hardware. This guitar is made from high-quality wood and comes complete with adjustable display stand which will prevent guitar from falling. Approx. 9" (23cm) long.

Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble - Live At The El Mocambo
£12.99 - click here to buy now

In 1990, Texas bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan was just emerging from a long period in which drugs had taken their toll: the previous year's In Step album was the first he had made "clean", and the results were a marvel. But then, after sharing a stage with Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Eric Clapton, he boarded a helicopter to Chicago. It crashed and the career of one of the great blues guitarists was ended.

Rewind to 1983 and here is Stevie Ray at the beginning of his fame, his first album with his backing band Double Trouble, Texas Flood, having just been released to critical and popular acclaim. The venue is the El Mocambo club in Toronto, a dark, smoky joint with a laid-back but appreciative clientele. Vaughan, drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon share the tiny stage. The guitarist, bedecked in trademark hat and alligator-skin boots, is pale of complexion, sweating from the heat and physical exertion, and physically much smaller than Shannon, who towers over him. But Vaughan dominates, as much by the magnetism of his flamboyant personality as his guitar playing. And what playing: by turns fiery, funky, then limpid and surprisingly graceful. Here is an authentic blues artist captured in the throes of living through his music. At this early stage in his career he was still very much in thrall to Jimi Hendrix (the flower-power shirt gives it away), as covers of "Voodoo Chile" and "Third Stone from the Sun" (the latter a Hendrix-inspired guitar-abuse session) indicate. The highlight of the show, however, is his rendition of "Texas Flood" which turns out to be an amazing essay on the art of blues guitar. This is a raw, intimate and spontaneous record of a one-off event. All fans of the blues will be grateful to those who had the foresight to capture it on film.

On the DVD: The disc allows the viewer to chose a lyrics on/off option, as well as different audio mixes (Dolby Surround or Stereo). There's also a short interview with Double Trouble's Clayton and Shannon, recorded in 1999, in which they reveal that Stevie never bothered with a set list, and a biography, discography and timeline.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire Joe Nick Patoski, Bill Crawford
£10.39 - click here to buy now

Hailed as the greatest guitarist since Hendrix, virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan forged a distinctive style out of blues, rock and roll and R&B roots. A genuine guitar hero who crafted his attack in countless pass-the-hat jams in Austin bars and ended his career performing to sold-out stadiums full of awestruck devotees. This biography chronicles Vaughan's emergence from the hotbed of Texas blues, his bitter rivalry with his brother Jimmy, his constant battle with drugs and alcohol, his recovery from addiction and the impact of his helicopter crash accident on the music community.

Planet Waves Stainless Steel Guitar Slide
£16.99 - Click Here to Buy

Planet Waves chrome-plated stainless steel guitar slides offer excellent intonation, sustain, and a clear, bright sound. The slides are center-less ground and hard chrome plated for an exceptional, durable finish that will not chip, flake, or rust. The slides also come with a free screw-top case that protects the slide and your guitar, and an instructional booklet from Roy Rogers included.