Jimmie Vaughan – The Lone Star Bluesman
In the personal holy grail of Jimmie Vaughan during his years growing up in Texas, it was cars and guitars. There was something about the sound of both to the ears of the young man. Vaughan’s neighborhood, Oak Cliff, was right on one of Dallas’ edges, and there was the blisstering summers that put the idea in the Texan’s head that those two elements were the key to the kingdom in whatever life lay ahead. The records that he listened to in his earliest years had the sound of freedom in them. Whether it was Jimmy Reed’s upside-down freedom in songs like “Take Out Some Insurance” or “I’ll Change My Style” or Fats Domino’s “I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday” or “I’m Walkin’,” those sonics and so many more were charging the air with a hot-rodded energy which convinced Jimmie Vaughan that this was the path forward in his life. The only path. So he saved his quarters and bought a guitar as soon as he had enough, and soon discovered the magic that could be found in the instrument. And as soon as he reached driving age the second key in this dose of double-magic, an automobile, entered the picture and sealed the deal. When onced ask what his reasons first were for this impetus, he answered in a snap: “To leave home and be on my own.”
The young guitarist Vaughan found his spot, starting his teenage bands, exchanging songs and styles with his equally-obsessed buddies and envisioning a life where he could find full-time freedom and play his guitar. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, and once done, that was it. The teenager’s future was cast and there has never been a doubt about it. After a few aggregations in the 1960s though, it was 100% clear that the years ahead would not be spent in Dallas. A few shows he played in Austin with his early group the Chessmen convinced the guitarist that a move was in the wind. He could feel it when saw the feelings in the Capital city, whether it was the black blues clubs on the East side or the thousands of young students looking for action around town. So the decision was made: he’d hitchhike to River City, but not before he carved with a nail his initials, JLV, on the back of his Fender Stratocaster guitar. Just in case someone stole it. Once the ride down i-35 was completed, Jimmie Vaughan found a new home, the one that would lead to all the other musicians and bands he shared the absolute love of the blues and all that went with it.
One of the early groups that gave him enough energy to build a reputation was Storm, and it didn’t take long for them to announce that some new blues lovers were in town to share their spirits. Clubs like the Vulcan Gas Company, One Knite, Alexander’s and the I.L. Club opened their stages to Storm, and the audience’s reaction was instantaneous: there were some new guitar-slingers and singers in town that had the keys to the new kingdom. Vaughan and his musical gang had hit a nerve, and while it ran its course after several years the young man was convinced he’d made a new musical home. Musicians were pouring into Austin, and the club scene was built with those bands and rabid audiences–big and small–started to grow. But like any endeavor, the future held excitement and possible thrills for musicians who knew they had the playing goods and just needed an audience to help them set the fire. Luckily, that was coming.
When Jimmie Vaughan and singer-harp player Kim Wilson first traded ideas and licks, the die was cast for the Fabulous Thunderbirds. It would take a minute, but once the band was in place and Antone’s club on Sixth Street in downtown opened the shouting began. This was a band for the ages, and starting to gain their momentum in a club that not only featured a lot of the world’s most acclaimed bluesmen like Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush and so many more, the Austin audiences who loved this music had found a home. There was never any doubt that Jimmie Vaughan’s dream band was smack dab in the middle of where they belonged. It was also true the city’s music lovers had been waiting for an outfit like the T-Birds to fill the bandstands and the bills to light the fire across the state and beyond. And while it might take a few years to start recording albums so the sound could spread around the country, there was never any doubt that Vaughan, Wilson, Mike Buck and Keith Ferguson were going to take the blues around the world, and helped create a new era of blues for posterity. It was meant to be.
The new box set for The Fabulous Thunderbirds: The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings 1978-1989, which includes an early recording of the T-Birds produced by Doc Pomus; will be out on November 21 via Last Music Co. We had a chance to chat with Jimmie Vaughan on the run up to the release date.
Americana Highways: When you think back to those early days at Antone’s, in the midst of blues legends and shaping Austin’s vibrant scene, what made that moment in time so special for you?
Jimmie Vaughan: We had just started the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Clifford had just opened Antones. We were getting to play the music we loved and getting to back many of our musical heroes. We were having the time of our lives.
AH: What do you remember most about the energy and camaraderie in that scene?
JV: We were young and all into the blues; it was a great big party every night with your friends.
AH: The Fabulous Thunderbirds had a sound that was both deeply rooted in traditional blues and uniquely Texan. How intentional was that blend — and how much of it just came naturally from who you all were as players?
JV: We were doing what we loved and were into. I guess the Texan part came naturally.
AH: By the time you recorded Tuff Enuff, the band’s sound had evolved into something slicker and more radio-friendly. What was it like balancing commercial success with staying true to your blues foundation?
It was easy. We were playing what we felt. We chose musicians to produce us that added an extra layer. We were happy there was a larger audience enjoying our music.
AH: Your guitar tone with the Thunderbirds was famously understated — powerful, but never flashy. How did you approach shaping that sound, especially in contrast to the high-energy frontmanship of Kim Wilson?
JV: I was just being me. Funny, I thought I was being “flashy,” ha ha.
AH: This massive box set covers a ton of ground – did you ever think the T-Birds would build such a body of work?
JV: We played together for years without having a record, so we were grateful to make so many records.
AH: Doc Pomus was a key influence and a friend to many blues and R&B artists. He was known for his deep love of the blues and for mentoring younger musicians. The new box set includes a previously unreleased record produced by Doc Pomus (and Joel Dorn). What kind of impression did he leave on you or on the Thunderbirds music?
JV: Doc had made so many great recordings and written so many songs. We were all thrilled to be working with him, and he encouraged what we were doing.
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Jimmie Vaughan. The Fabulous Thunderbirds: The Jimmie Vaughan Years new box set will be released on November 21. Find it, along with more details, here on his website: https://www.jimmievaughan.com/news/aint-that-tuff-enuff-the-fabulous-thunderbirds-early-work-gets-the-box-set-treatment
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Show Review: Jimmie Vaughan Full-Throttle R & B Revival at OKC’s Tower Theatre