Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan was an American guitarist who gained worldwide fame as one of the greatest guitarists of the late 20th century,^[1] for his brief career with Double Trouble, and for his collaborations. He was killed in a helicopter accident on the side of a skiing hill at Alpine Valley Resort in East Troy, Wisconsin on Monday, August 27, 1990; Vaughan had just played a concert with Double Trouble, featured as a special guest with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and Jimmie Vaughan.^[2][3] Shortly after local news stations reported Vaughan's death, crowds gathered at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas.^[4] He was buried on August 31, 1990, at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas;^[5] the grave is next to his father Jimmie Lee Vaughan, who died on the same day four years earlier.^[6]

Death

On the morning of August 26, 1990, Vaughan told his band and crew members about a horrible nightmare in which he was at his own funeral and saw thousands of mourners. He felt "terrified, yet almost peaceful."^[7]

Backstage after the show that evening, the musicians talked about playing together again, particularly with Clapton for a series of dates at London's Royal Albert Hall in February and March 1991.^[8] Moments later, Peter Jackson, Clapton's tour manager, said that the weather was getting worse and they had to leave soon.^[9] According to Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, Vaughan's last words to him were, "I love ya."^[10][11]

Dew was settling on the windshields of the four helicopters waiting to transport the performers back to Chicago.^[3] Stevie Ray, Jimmie, and his wife Connie made their way to their reserved helicopter, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger booked by Omniflight Helicopters and manned by Jeff Brown, a 42-year-old veteran pilot.^[11][12][13] Peter Jackson, one of Clapton's tour managers let Vaughan know that three seats were reserved for himself, Jimmie, and Connie.^[8][14] Upon arrival, they discovered that their seats had been taken by members of Clapton's crew, agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe.^[8][11][15] Vaughan, wanting to get back to Chicago, asked Jimmie and Connie if he could take the last seat, saying "I really need to get back."^[8][11] They obliged and caught the next flight in Lake Geneva with Layton and Jimmie's manager, Mark Proct.^[8]

At 1 a.m., the helicopters departed in dense fog at two-minute intervals.^[2] Jeff Brown, occupying the right seat in the cockpit,^[13] guided the helicopter off the golf course, remaining at a high speed and slightly lower altitude than the others.^[12][16] It banked sharply^[15] to the left^[12] and crashed into the side of a 300-foot-high ski slope,^[17] about 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from takeoff.^[12] All on board were killed instantly.^[18] With no fire or explosion, the bodies and debris were scattered over an area of 200 square feet (19 m²).^[14][16][17] Nobody was aware of the crash until the helicopter failed to arrive at its destination the next morning.

At 7 a.m., an Air Force search helicopter, carrying sheriff's deputies, found the wreckage, which was 50 feet (15 m) below the summit of the hill.^[12][16] Shortly after, Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan were called to the morgue to identify the bodies.^[17] According to an autopsy report, Vaughan had suffered many unsurvivable injuries, such as transection and dissection of the aorta, multiple depressed skull fractures, ruptured spleen and liver, along with fractures of the right thigh bone and ribs.^[19] An investigation found that no drugs or alcohol were involved, and all victims had worn seatbelts.^[13] No part malfunction was found in the investigation.^[12] Pilot Jeff Brown had many hours of experience operating the Bell 206B at night. However, he had an instrument rating for flying airplanes at night with dense fog, not helicopters.^[11][13] The cause of the crash was that Brown simply did not see the hill and flew the helicopter full speed into the hillside due to low visibility.^[16]

Aftermath

Vaughan's death triggered an outpouring of grief and shock around the world. The album Family Style was released in September 1990 and became Vaughan's best-selling non-Double Trouble album; it was the only collaboration that he recorded with Jimmie Vaughan. On August 31, 1990, Vaughan was buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas. Funeral services were held, with over 1,500 people attending and 3,000 more outside the chapel.^[5] His fiancée, Janna Lapidus, Jimmie and Martha Vaughan were in attendance. Among the other mourners were Stevie Wonder, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Nile Rodgers.^[20]

Omniflight, the helicopter's owner, was sued by Martha and Jimmie Vaughan for being negligent in allowing the unqualified pilot, Jeff Brown, to fly a helicopter and taking off in dense fog.^[21] The wives of Clapton's bodyguard, Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager, Colin Smythe, received more than $2 million in settlements.^[22]

Memorials and tributes

Jimmie Vaughan later co-wrote and recorded a song in tribute to his brother, along with other deceased blues guitarists, titled "Six Strings Down." Bonnie Raitt's 1991 album Luck of the Draw was dedicated to him. Many other artists recorded songs in remembrance of Vaughan, including Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, Buddy Guy, Steve Vai, and Wayne Perkins. Stevie Wonder, whose "Superstition" Vaughan covered, honored him with "Stevie Ray Blues" on his 1995 live album Natural Wonder. Musicians such as Joe Bonamassa,^[23] John Mayer,^[23] Robert Randolph,^[24] Kenny Wayne Shepherd,^[25] Mark Tremonti,^[26] Chris Duarte,^[27] Colin James,^[28] Los Lonely Boys,^[23][29] Mike McCready, Eric Johnson,^[30] Orianthi,^[31] John Petrucci,^[32] and Doyle Bramhall II^[33] have cited Vaughan as an influence.

An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Dallas Texas benefits the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.^[34] The city of Austin erected the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, the site of a number of his concerts. It has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.^[35] Since 1998, St. Louis has hosted an annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Concert around Thanksgiving featuring local musicians.^[36] In 2000, Vaughan was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He also became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.^[37] In 2008, residents voted to rename Dallas' Industrial Boulevard, with Vaughan's name being one of the finalists alongside Stanley Marcus, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and César Chávez.^[38]

Notes

1. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Stevie Ray Vaughan". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time-19691231/stevie-ray-vaughan-19691231. Retrieved December 20, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Kitts, p. 70
3. ^ ^{a b} Everitt, pp. 130-134
4. ^ "Corax Blues: In memory of Stevie Ray Vaughan". Guitar World. Future US. December 1990. http://www.corax.com/srvaughan/index.html?august. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Gulla, Bob (2008). Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 230. ISBN 9780313358067. http://books.google.com/?id=DL3I9qQWdeAC&pg=PA230#v=onepage&q. 
6. ^ "Jimmie Lee Vaughan (1921-1986)". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12208. Retrieved December 26, 2010. 
7. ^ Leigh, Keri (1993). Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Dickerson, p. 154
9. ^ Leigh, p. 3
10. ^ "The Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan". In the Studio with Redbeard. June 21, 1993. Transcript.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e} Everitt, p. 132
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Brief of Accident" (Press release). NTSB. September 11, 1992. http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=CHI90MA244&rpt=fi. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
13. ^ ^{a b c d} "Factual Report" (Press release). NTSB. January 10, 2011. http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=CHI90MA244&rpt=fa. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "26 August 1990 - Eric Clapton Tour Archive". Where's Eric! Magazine. 2010. http://www.whereseric.com/eric-clapton-tour/29/05/2010-12. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
15. ^ ^{a b} Gregory, p. 119
16. ^ ^{a b c d} Everitt, p. 134
17. ^ ^{a b c} Dickerson, p. 155
18. ^ Joe Nick Patoski (October 1990). "Requiem in Blue". Texas Monthly (Austin: Emmis Communications) 18 (10): 210. ISSN 0148-7736. http://books.google.com/books?id=WS4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA210&dq=stevie+ray+killed+instantly&hl=en&ei=atYsTfCHMMP98Aaf6sHACQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=stevie%20ray%20killed%20instantly&f=false. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
19. ^ "Stevie Ray Vaughan Autopsy". Death2UR Productions. October 24, 1990. http://www.death2ur.com/Stevie-Ray-Vaughan-Crash-Site.htm. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
20. ^ Crossfire, pp. 263–64
21. ^ "Family, copter company settle over Vaughan's death". Orlando Sentinel (Tribune Company). July 5, 1995. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-07-05/news/9507040608_1_jimmie-vaughan-gere-roseanne. Retrieved January 22, 2011. 
22. ^ "Women Receive Settlement In Vaughan's Fatal Crash". Orlando Sentinel (Tribune Company). December 2, 1992. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1992-12-02/news/9212020474_1_omniflight-helicopters-eric-clapton-vaughan. Retrieved January 22, 2011. 
23. ^ ^{a b c} Chappell, p. 251
24. ^ "Bio - Robert Randolph". Robert Randolph and the Family Band. 2011. http://www.robertrandolph.net/bio. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
25. ^ Gregory, p. 153
26. ^ Vinnicombe, Chris (October 26, 2010). "Interview: Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti". MusicRadar. Future Publishing. http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-alter-bridge-guitarist-mark-tremonti-288008/2. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
27. ^ Murphy, Murf (May 27, 1998). "Chris Duarte Interview - 23 May 98". The Slant: Orlando's Community Website. http://www.theslant.com/music/articles/more/duart_int2.html. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
28. ^ Kitts, p. 76
29. ^ Drozdowski, Ted (January 5, 2009). "Los Lonely Boys: Wild String". Guitar World. Future US. http://www.guitarworld.com/article/los_lonely_boys_wild_string. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
30. ^ Chappell, Jon; Mark Phillips (August 3, 2009). Guitar All-in-One For Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing. p. 258. ISBN 978-0470481332. http://books.google.com/books?id=uV7TCCpQWmEC&pg=PA258&dq=stevie+ray+eric+johnson&hl=en&ei=hKc2TYf-O8L-8AaTy8WpBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=stevie%20ray%20eric%20johnson&f=false. 
31. ^ "Exclusive Interview with Orianthi". GlamRock.com. Future US. July 16, 2010. http://glamrock.com/news/exclusive-interview-with-orianthi/. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
32. ^ "John Petrucci - Biography". 2007. http://www.johnpetrucci.com/biography.htm. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
33. ^ Gregory, p. 150
34. ^ Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride & Concert.
35. ^ Austin Art in Public Places Tour - Central.
36. ^ SRV Tribute
37. ^ Future Rock Hall entry for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
38. ^ "Stanley Marcus, Stevie Ray Vaughan make Industrial Boulevard list"

Bibliography

• Leigh, Keri (1993). Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. 
• Patoski, Joe Nick; Bill Crawford (1993). Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316160681. 
• Kitts, Jeff (1997). Guitar world presents Stevie Ray Vaughan: ... from the pages of Guitar World magazine. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9780793580804. http://books.google.com/books?id=Mf6L5Q3_62IC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10. 
• Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0879307479. http://books.google.com/books?id=iWkzJssSXcEC&pg=PA67. 
• Dickerson, James (September 25, 2004). The fabulous Vaughan Brothers: Jimmie and Stevie Ray. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-116-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=NrAOD3qhANAC. 
• Everitt, Rich (September 2004). Falling stars: air crashes that filled rock and roll heaven. Atlanta: Harbor House. ISBN 978-1891799044. http://books.google.com/books?id=H4TSH_b7IHYC&pg=PA130.