Stevie Ray Vaughan

Twenty years ago today I was in my very first week of college.  Just out of high school, I was developing my identity as a rock ‘n’ roll musician and music history afficionado.  I didn’t know a lot about Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I did know who he was.  In years to come, I would come to gain a deep appreciation of him as one of the greatest blues guitarists ever.  Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of that appreciation came after his death.  Twenty years ago today, Vaughan was killed at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash after performing at a concert alongside the likes of Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray.  I can still vividly remember watching news reports of the event in the lounge on my dormitory floor.  Indeed, I can’t think of the opening days of my college life without also thinking of Vaughan.