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Essay on stevie ray vaughan
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Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of the most influential electrical guitarists in music history. In his life time Vaughan was admired by already established and well regarded musicians, for his soulful energy and powerful style of guitar play. Eric Clapton stated in a 1996 interview that he was so taken back by Stevie Ray Vaughan talent that while he was driving his car he had to pull over and listen to him play. Further, stating that he was determined to meet him that very day and did. Unfortunately, at the height of his popularity his life was cut short by a tragic helicopter crash. After his death Stevie Ray Vaughan popularity, and influence in the music industry continued to grow with fans and musicians worldwide.
While Stevie Ray was establishing himself, in the late 70’s as a Blues guitar master his talent allowed him to transcend this genre bringing Blues music back into relevance in the American music scene. With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the '80s. (Erlewine 2014) Recreating a time in American music history that rivaled blues greatest blue musicians of the 1940’s and 50’s. Veteran blues artists Etta James, B.B. King and Buddy Guy directly attributed the mid-'80s revival of their previously ebbing careers to Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray played the guitar with the passion of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie often paid homage to his inspiration by recording covers of music legend Jimi Hendrix. Third Rock from the Sun and At the end of Stevie’s life the Hendrix song Voodoo Chile (Slight return) were signature songs that considered iconic to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s live music performance.
Vaughan was recognized as great talent by Rock n Roll musician’s as a teenager, by ...
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...ray, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Vaughan, Stevie Wonder, and at the Tribune to Stevie Ray Vaughan held at the Austin City limits venue where a who’s who of Rock and Roll, R&B, and Blues Hall of Famers gathered to play his music and reminisce . Stevie Ray Vaughan may be gone but his musical influence will always live all those he has and will inspires.
Works Cited
Erlewine, S.T. (2014) Stevie Ray Vaughan. Retrieved for this paper Apr 3, 2014 from, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/stevie-ray-vaughan-mn0000625739/biography
Hopkins, C. (Sept 15, 2010) Stevie Ray Vaughan – Day by Day, Night after Night: His Early Years. Retrieved for this paper Apr 3, 2010 from, ISBN 978-1-4234-8598-8
Melamed, R. (Mar 5, 2002). John May discuses style, jazz influences. Retrieved for this paper Apr 4, 2014 from, http://www.michigandaily.com/content/john-mayer-discusses-style-jazz-influences
Some of her better-known sides from the Twenties include “Backwater Blues,” “Taint Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” “St. Louis Blues” (recorded with Louis Armstrong), and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” The Depression dealt her career a blow, but Smith changed with the times by adapting a more up-to-date look and revised repertoire that incorporated Tin Pan Alley tunes like “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” On the verge of the Swing Era, Smith died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, in September 1937. She left behind a rich, influential legacy of 160 recordings cut between 1923 and 1933. Some of the great vocal divas who owe a debt to Smith include Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. In Joplin’s own words of tribute, “She showed me the air and taught me how to fill it.
Steve Miller was born October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Steve’s family was very involved with music. His mother was a jazz-influenced singer, and his father was a pathologist that very interested in the world of music. Dr. Miller was friends with many musicians which greatly aided in young Steve’s development in music. One of his father’s friends included Les Paul, who showed Steve some chords on a guitar at the age of five. Les Paul proved to be a very valuable mentor to Steve, and he became a good friend of the family. When Steve was seven his family moved to Dallas, where he was exposed to a different type of artists that usually did not visit Milwaukee. His father took him to see greats such as Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, and Carl Perkins. Steve was particularly drawn to T-Bone Walker, the father of Texas-style electric blues. This proved to be very influential in Steve’s life, and it is evident by the blues-sound that he exhibited in his guitar playing.
There is without a doubt that the 1950s saw the rise of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, known as Chuck Berry. His musical take on rhythm and blues was a large influence on many successful artists that rose the following decade, but most notably The Rolling Stones. This paper examines the earlier musical career of Chuck Berry and how The Rolling Stones modeled themselves upon him and then expanded themselves further.
He also was known to influences experimental new music and electronic music. Although he spent a good part of his life in the recording studio, he also performed live. In addition to being one of the greatest vocalists in the 1950s, Holly played guitar, a variety of percussion instruments, and electric bass. Although Holly’s music career was short lived, the amount of music he produced is very impressive. As a songwriter, he is famous for developing his own material. It is in his songs and his band, The Crickets, that we truly see Buddy Holly’s unique musical personality. Holly also appeared to be a vocalist and instrumentalist, playing bass and guitar on almost all his songs. “Buddy Holly played rock and roll for only a few short years, but the wea...
The blues emerged as a distinct African-American musical form in the early twentieth century. It typically employed a twelve-bar framework and three-lined stanzas; its roots are based in early African-American songs, such as field hollers and work songs, and generally have a melancholy mood. The blues can be divided into many sub-genres, including Classical, Country, and Urban. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the careers of two of Classical blues most influential and legendary singers: Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
There are many Elvis Tribute Artists throughout the United States. A tribute artist is one of a group of unique people who have dedicated their lives to keeping Elvis’ memory alive. How it all got started, a boy went into Sun Records at the age of 19, to record a special song for his mother’s birthday present; the song was titled My Happiness. One year would pass by, before the owner of the studio would call him back. In 1954, music producer, Sam Phillips discovered the very young and energetic boy that we know as Elvis. Sam Phillips was looking for a sound that was very different and unique. Elvis, Scotty Moore, and Dj Fontana had been working hard all day, and close to the end of the afternoon when they were about ready to give up, while taking a break, Elvis picked up the guitar and started to play around. Sam stuck his head out of the control booth, and asks, “What are you doing and can you do it again?” Elvis answered, “I don’t know and yes”. The rockabilly sound was born. A deejay by the name of, Dewey Phillips at WHBQ Radio in Memphis, Tennessee interviewed Elvis and played his first record “That’s all right mamma. The world was introduced to Elvis Presley and the rockabilly sound. Elvis was the greatest music entertainer of his time, until his death on August 16, 1977, at the age of forty-two years. His sudden death left this world very tearful, he was known as the King-of -Rocking- N-Roll throughout his life and still today, thirty-two years after he died.
While listening to “Walking Blues” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” similar instruments can be heard in the background. Both of these songs feature guitars. Son House, while singing, is playing his guitar with bent notes. He also used his notable slide technique to create a unique sound. In “Blue Moon of Kentucky” Presley featured Scotty Moore on the Electric Guitar and Bill Black on the Bass. The instrumentals in this song helped create an upbeat tempo that would lead to sucess. While there are many similarities there are also a number of
Neil Young, who grew up in Ontario, Canada, was drawn into music at a very early age, and throughout his teens he played in several bands and was a mainstay at local folk clubs (Macnie, 2001). He started to build a respectable enough reputation, but didn’t hit upon any commercial recognition until he joined Buffalo Springfield, a band that also featured Stephen Stills, who would become a well-known singer-songwriter in his own right. While perhaps not attaining the success they deserved in term...
The first instrument Robert played was the harmonica. Robert quit school as a teen and started working in the cotton fields. Robert left that life to travel and play his music. He began to play the guitar around the age of fifteen. Famous blues men; Charlie Patton and Willie Brown influenced Johnson when he was young. At age 17, Robert married Virginia Travis. She and their first baby died during childbirth. Johnson then went on the road. Robert traveled all over the Midwest and all the way down to Mississippi and Arkansas. He married Calletta Craft during his travels. She died only a few years later while Robert was on the road.
Jhon Coltrane and Miles Davis to be among his biggest influences in music. After playing
His stage presence was far superior to any other performer of rock and roll during that time era. One of the things that Hendrix was know for was being a left-handed guitar player, however, played a right-handed guitar that was strung for a lefty. This made the guitar react and sound completely different than a normal guitar would sound. He favored high volume and gain through overdriven amplifiers and was instrumental in utilizing guitar amplifier feedback. According to Holly George-Warren of the Rolling Stones, "Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. Players before him had experimented with feedback and distortion, but Hendrix turned those effects and others into a controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues with which he began." His advanced use and creativity of the guitar led to a wah-wah effect which would eventually chang the way rock and roll would be played forever. When he was performing on stage he would set his amplifiers on max, later known as the Hendrix setting. Another trademark of Hendrix was his unique ability to be one of a kind on stage and truly express himself. While playing he would perform stunts such as playing the guitar behind his back, under his legs, and even with his teeth. His performances were nonetheless unforgettable especially when he set his guitar on fire and afterward smashed it during the Monterey Pop Festival. An iconic picture of Jimmi Hendrix on his knees with his hands raised high and his guitar burning on the floor in front of him would symbolize rock and roll in the years to come. His magnificent and odd way of playing would be something the people loved and envied. Hendrix would set the bar for future rock and rollers with his outstanding and innovative performances on
Ray Charles one of the greatest African-American artists of all time. He left a legacy of hits and Grammy awards, but the musicians he influenced were very diverse in genre as the music he wrote, arranged, performed, and recorded. Ray Charles died at the age of 73 on June 10, 2004 from acute liver disease. Months after his death on October 29, 2004 the movie Ray was released to the U.S on a budget of forty million dollars. The film went on to become a box-office hit, earning over $100 million dollars with an additional $75 million internationally. It ended up with a worldwide gross of over $175 million.
One would think his music would be heard among today’s teenagers and young adults. However, the current teenage generation and the generation before it idolizes bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, groups Chuck Berry directly influenced. Rolling Stones and The Beatles seem to be everywhere in 21st century culture. This is proof Chuck Berry has been not only instrumental but also highly underappreciated. To know Chuck Berry, one must know his early life, his influence, and the way he uses many different genres in his music.
Great African American musicians of the40’s, 50’s, especially 60’s and 70’s, like Jimi Hendrix for example, where not have always been in the headlines for the right reasons. They, Hendrix especially, were not always forefront leaders in movement like the Civil Rights era like Malcolm X or Martin Luther where.. That may be true, but by simply being a successful African American musician in times like these would speak volume, and have profound influence. Jimi Hendrix explained it bests, when he summed up the power behind, not just his music, but all music, when he told us...
John Williams Interview for Music Express Magazine. Perf. John Williams. YouTube, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.