Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band

When it comes to the blues today, there are a handful of guiding lights to make sure the music stays true to its history. For Jimmie Vaughan, he’s dedicated his life to making sure the blues not only stays alive, but remains full of life and an inspiration to all who listen. It’s a spirit he holds close to him, and for almost 60 years, Vaughan isn’t about to stop now.

As a bandleader, singer and guitarist, the four time Grammy Award winner, Jimmie Vaughan is a master of how everything is captured for posterity. “Playing what you feel has always been my main goal,” Vaughan says. Considering the Texas guitarist and singer has had the kind of career that makes him a living legacy, those are no idle words. His first group when he was 13 years old played Dallas’ Hob Nob Lounge six nights a week, learning the kind of lessons that can’t be taught, they have to be lived. Getting the chance to open for Jimi Hendrix when he was 16 years old along with being heavily influenced by B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Freddie King and so many more, convinced the young Vaughan it was time to find a way to play the music he felt the strongest about: the blues. That took him to hitchhiking to Austin in the early 70’s and carving out a new crew of blues players who shared his musical excitement. He formed The Fabulous Thunderbirds and their debut album “Girls Go Wild” on Takoma Records was released in 1979. After worldwide success with The Fabulous Thunderbirds during the 80’s, it came time to leave the band and build his own path in exploring different approaches to the blues. He and his brother Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborated and released “Family Style” to great acclaim and recognition in the music industry.

He then released his first solo album on Epic Records in the early 90’s and what Vaughan discovered was that he could take it anywhere; there were no boundaries. “I wanted to find out what I could really do,” he says, “and when I started singing it gave me a whole new side to explore. When I was young I didn’t really pay much attention to categories of music. I just heard what I liked and decided to explore that and that’s really what I‘m still doing.”

Jimmie is continuing his love affair with and staying spiritually connected to the American music he loves.