Categories: Best Ever Lists

100 Greatest Guitarists

They built their own guitars, stabbed speaker cones with pencils, shattered instruments and eardrums — all in search of new ways to make the guitar cry, scream, whisper, shout and moan

Published by

7. Stevie Ray Vaughan
With the blinding stratocaster fireworks on his debut album, Texas Flood, in 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan kicked off a blues-rock renaissance when the music needed one most: the heyday of hair-spray metal and synth-pop. Until 1982, Vaughan’s fame was limited to clubs in central Texas, where he perfected a brass-knuckled soul influenced by Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelia and the funky twang of Lonnie Mack. But after David Bowie saw him at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival (a rare gig for an unsigned act), Vaughan was invited to play on Bowie’s Let’s Dance. By the late 1980s, he was filling arenas with his longtime band Double Trouble. On August 27th, 1990, Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin, after leaving a venue where he had just jammed with his guitarist brother Jimmie, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jeff Healey and Robert Cray. He was thirty-five.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Recent Posts

How Earthgang Fought the Algorithm and Won

Atlanta duo discuss their new album, Perfect Fantasy, working with Pharrell and Snoop, and staying…

November 12, 2024

‘Dune: Prophecy’ Would Simply Love to Be a Sci-Fi ‘Game of Thrones’

Whether this wonky, six-episode prequel to Denis Villeneuve's cinematic universe — based on Frank Hebert's…

November 12, 2024

Art Garfunkel on His Emotional Reunion With Paul Simon: ‘My Soul Is Connected With Him’

Might they tour? “It’s a big question,” says Garfunkel. “I would give it a try…

November 12, 2024

Protect Your Ears: Why Indians Need to Invest in Quality Earplugs

As India’s live music scene grows, investing in high-quality earplugs is essential to protect your…

November 11, 2024

‘Arcane’ Season Two Review: Paint the Town Blue

The much awaited second and final season of the League of Legends animated series is…

November 11, 2024

Grammy-Nominated Varijashree Venugopal Talks Shows in Colombia and Florence

Bengaluru-based vocalist, flautist and composer, who recently released her debut album ‘Vari,’ became the first…

November 11, 2024