Exploding on to a generally lethargic blues scene in 1983 with his Texas Flood album, Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–90) administered a high-voltage charge that revitalized the blues with his stunning, ecstatic playing and imagination.

He took inspiration from the most stylish of his idols – Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King – but it was the wild style of Fifties blues rocker Lonnie Mack that gave him his aggressive swagger.

To accommodate his large hands and thick fingers, Vaughan used heavy duty guitar strings that he tuned down a semitone. This contributed to his distinctive style that included playing simultaneous lead and rhythm parts. He also used his index finger as a pick, which gave him greater tone control.

Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1954, and it was his older brother Jimmie who introduced him to the guitar and the blues. When Jimmie left home to form The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1972, Stevie quit school and followed him to Austin, where he spent the next three years playing in various bar bands. In 1975 he co-founded Triple Threat with singer Lou Ann Barton, and when the band broke up three years later Vaughan took over the vocals and brought in bassist Tommy Shannon to join drummer Chris Layton, renaming the trio Double Trouble.

The band’s reputation gradually spread, and in 1982 they played the Montreux Festival in Switzerland, attracting the attention of David Bowie, who recruited Vaughan to play on Let’s Dance (1983), and Jackson Browne, who offered his studio for recording. Texas Flood (1983), recorded in three days, revelled in Vaughan’s influences, such as Buddy Guy (‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’), Lightnin’ Hopkins (‘Rude Mood’) and Jimi Hendrix (‘Lenny’), while spotlighting Vaughan’s own powerful ‘Pride And Joy’ and the slow, intense ‘Dirty Pool’.

Couldn’t Stand The Weather (1984) confirmed Vaughan’s promise. His playing grew in authority with an inspired revival of Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Chile’. His blues ranged from the aggressive ‘The Things I Used To Do’ to the emotionally charged ‘Tin Pan Alley’. The title track, featuring Vaughan’s brother Jimmie, added a rock beat and a funky feel to his blues.

For Soul To Soul (1985) Vaughan added keyboard player Reese Wynans to the band, fattening up the sound. Wynans’ Hammond organ swirled around Vaughan’s solid riffs on ‘Change It’, and he complemented Vaughan’s jazzy touch on ‘Gone Home’. Vaughan covered Hank Ballard’s ‘Look At Little Sister’ and Willie Dixon’s ‘You’ll Be Mine’. But ‘Ain’t Gone ‘n’ Give Up On Love’ proved that he could write his own tortured blues.

Vaughan was now a global blues star. He was also collaborating with other artists, recording with Albert King on In Session (1983), Johnny Copeland on Texas Twister (1984) and Lonnie Mack on Strike Like Lightning (1985). But Vaughan’s health was suffering because of his drug abuse, and in 1986 he collapsed during a European tour. He checked into a rehabilitation centre for treatment and resumed touring in 1988....

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