Music’s Aviation Tragedies: Stevie Ray Vaughan

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Hello from Jackson, Tennessee! Unlike what the song said, it is not “hotter than a pepper sprout” here. I had three stops yesterday (one of which I’ve bored you with already), and I continue heading toward the Mississippi River today. But first…MUSIC! Here’s another person that I’m sure you had pegged to show up on the list, and the last of the “alphabetical” (as long as I was paying attention ) list. Stevie Ray Vaughan “The second coming of the blues.” That’s how people tagged Stevie Ray Vaughan. That’s a heavy burden for a white boy to carry, but Vaughan not only carried it, in a lot of ways he proved them correct. Blues and jazz are two American forms of music that have just never caught on with a wide audience. Vaughan was changing that. Stevie Ray started playing guitar at the age of seven, trying to emulate his big brother Jimmie (who rose to fame in the band the Fabulous Thunderbirds). Nearly everyone agrees he went way past his brother in ability and technique. While playing around the Austin music scene Stevie and his band, Double Trouble, picked up a sizable following. National exposure came when they played in Montreaux, where David Bowie saw them and was so blown away by Vaughan’s guitar playing that he hired him to play on his “comeback” album Let’s Dance. From there, Vaughan’s career took off. He had a record deal and universal acclaim from fans, critics, and fellow guitarists alike. He even managed to beat his alcohol and drug problem. Over the weekend of August 25 and 26, 1990 Eric Clapton (the first “second coming of the blues”) headlined a show at the Alpine Valley Music Resort in East Troy, Wisconsin (which is near the Wisconsin/Illinois border). The standard operating procedure for the venue was to fly the performers in and out in helicopters, as there was only one road — bogged down by the audience — from the site. Things went well on the first night. The second night, after the show fog started to descend on the area. The helicopter carrying Clapton left quickly and returned to Chicago. Another helicopter took off without problem. About 1:00 AM on August 27, 1990 The third chopper, carrying Vaughan and three members of Clapton’s entourage (including his bodyguard and road manager) left Alpine Valley. By then, the fog had covered the area. And, as has been the case so many times before on this list, the pilot wasn’t instrument rated but took off in bad weather anyway. In this case, the pilot was instrument rated in planes but not helicopters. He was disoriented in the fog, turned the wrong way, and crashed into a ski mountain at the resort. All five on board died instantly. The NTSB ruled pilot error in bad weather. Vaughan has been gone as long as he was alive, and his influence continues. Stevie Ray Vaughan Born Stephen Ray Vaughan October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990 (age 35) Place of crash: Alpine Valley Resort, East Troy, Wisconsin Here’s Stevie Ray & Double Trouble doing a cover of a Hank Ballard song, “Look At Little Sister”: