STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE/LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL (Epic Records EK 68163)

There’s not much I can say about Stevie Ray Vaughan that hasn’t already been said before. He was truly a gifted musician, he died way too young, he’s still missed today, and he’s one of the people who I chose to dedicate this website to. I was lucky enough to see Stevie Ray and Double Trouble perform live on several occasions, twice from the front row, and I’ll never forget how awesome those shows were. I have mixed feelings about Stevie Ray’s career living on after his death in the same way that his idol Jimi Hendrix’s has, with live recordings and outtakes being endlessly dished out. I really just wish a comprehensive boxed set could be released, with the best stuff available, and that would be the end of it. It really gives me an uneasy feeling to enjoy a posthumous release from any artist.

This concert, recorded on October 4th 1984, was special because it was a benefit show for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s work in leukemia and cancer research. Stevie Ray chose to make it a special performance by supplementing Double Trouble with The Roomful Of Blues Horn Section, Dr. John on keyboards, George Rains as an additional drummer, and his brother Jimmy Vaughan on guitar during the second half of the show. Stevie Ray Vaughan was 30 at the time of this recording and had 2 albums out, his first release had gone gold and his second went platinum. He was riding high on a wave of popularity and this shows in his performance here.

The disc includes his classics "Pride And Joy", "Love Struck Baby", and "Cold Shot" as well as several songs that were added to this performance because it was a special occasion. There’s obviously a special value to his fans just to have these recordings now. The performance is great and deserved to be released but it still gives you a creepy feeling to enjoy it. I’d still like to see the boxed set all at once instead of seeing a new release every couple of years.