Stephen Ray Vaughan ( October 3 , 1954 – August 27 , 1990 ) was an American musician , singer , songwriter , and record producer , and one of the most influential guitarists in the revival of blues in the 1980s . He is commonly referred to as one of the greatest guitar players of all time . Vaughan was born and raised in Dallas , Texas . He began playing guitar at the age of seven , inspired by his older brother Jimmie . He dropped out of high school in 1971 and moved to Austin the following year . He played gigs with numerous bands , earning a spot in Marc Benno 's band the Nightcrawlers and later with Denny Freeman in the Cobras , with whom he continued to work through late 1977 . He then formed his own group Triple Threat Revue , but he renamed them Double Trouble after hiring drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon . He gained fame after his performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 , and his debut studio album '' Texas Flood '' charted at number 38 in 1983 , a commercially successful release that sold over half a million copies . Vaughan headlined concert tours with Jeff Beck in 1989 and Joe Cocker in 1990 . He died in a helicopter crash on August 27 , 1990 , at the age of 35
died in a helicopter crash
Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan