Anthology

JIMMIE VAUGHAN grew up on classic Top 40 Radio, early rock n’ roll, jazz and blues. At 13, he was sidelined with a football injury when a family friend gave Vaughan a guitar to occupy his time. He had natural talent and at 15, he started his first band, “The Swinging Pendulums.” At 16, Vaughan joined the Chessman, a popular group who opened for Jimi Hendrix.

In 1969, Vaughan moved to Austin and founded Texas Storm, a blues and soul act with a Texas accent. They quickly won over the college crowd, but Vaughan wanted to create a band that stayed true to the blues tradition while maintaining modern appeal. He created the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the mid 1970s. The Thunderbirds became the house band for Antone’s and opened for blues greats such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy. The Thunderbirds recorded eight albums before Vaughan left the band in 1990.

After the death of his brother, Stevie Ray, Vaughan became a musical recluse until 1993 when Eric Clapton invited him to open for him. After a warm reception from the crowds on tour, Vaughan started recording his first solo album, “Strange Pleasure,” which debuted at number one on the Billboard Heatseeker Chart and earned Vaughan a Grammy nomination in 1994.

His second album also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Do You Get the Blues, his third solo album, features a fusion of vintage R&B and jazz and collaborations with Lou Ann Barton, Vaughan’s son Tyrone and Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. His sound is a fusion of his influences – his tracks have a clean style that conveys raw emotion and has gained him respect from many of the greats of contemporary music.