Stevie Ray had been in numerous bands before joining blues rock combo Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble in the late 1970's.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's debut album was released in 1983. The critically acclaimed Texas Flood (1983) featured the top-20 hit Pride and Joy and sold well in both blues and rock circles.
Stevie Ray Vaughan died August 27th, 1990 when his helicopter crashed into the Alpine Valley ski hill. He was on his way back from playing a guest appearance at an Eric Clapton concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
Adult life and career
Vaughan's first recording band was called Paul Ray and the Cobras. They played at clubs and bars in Austin during the mid-1970s, and released one single.[2] Vaughan later recorded two other singles under the band name The Cobras.[3] Stevie left the Cobras, leaving Denny Freeman still in his role of original lead guitarist, and formed Triple Threat in late 1975, which included bassist Jackie Newhouse, drummer Chris Layton, vocalist Lou Ann Barton, and sax player Johnny Reno. Barton left the band in 1978 to pursue a solo career, followed by Reno in 1979. The three remaining members started performing under the name Double Trouble, inspired by an Otis Rush song of the same name. Vaughan became the band's lead singer.
Tommy Shannon, the bass player on Johnny Winter's early albums, replaced Newhouse in 1981. A popular Austin act, Vaughan soon attracted the attention of musicians David Bowie and Jackson Browne. Both Browne and Bowie first caught Vaughan at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival, where some members of the audience booed the band because they disliked Double Trouble's hard blues sound; the crowd response was quite different when they were subsequently invited to headline "Blues Night" at the festival in 1985.
In November, 1982, Vaughan recorded in Jackson Browne's studio in downtown Los Angeles. The recordings were brought to the attention of A&R man John Hammond and became Double Trouble's critically acclaimed first album, Texas Flood (1983), produced by Hammond; it featured the Top 20 hit "Pride and Joy" and sold 500,000 copies, earning the band a gold record. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, and its song "Rude Mood" was nominated for "Best Rock Instrumental". Vaughan won three categories in Guitar Player's readers poll: "Best New Talent", "Best Blues Album", and "Best Electric Blues Guitarist". He became the second guitarist to win three Guitar Player awards in one year (the first is Jeff Beck). Vaughan won the "Best Electric Blues Guitarist" award every year until 1991.
Also in 1983 Bowie featured Vaughan on his 1983 album Let's Dance.[4] Vaughan was asked to go on tour with Bowie, but declined so he could continue to play with Double Trouble. Reportedly, Vaughan, who was still driving a delivery truck to support himself, was furious when he saw Bowie pantomiming over Vaughan's guitar solo in the video for "Let's Dance".
The band's next album, Couldn't Stand the Weather, was recorded in January 1984. During mid-1984 Vaughan and Double Trouble made numerous TV appearances, performing on Rockpalast, MuchMusic, and Solid Gold.
During the Grammy Awards of 1984, Vaughan and George Thorogood presented Chuck Berry with a lifetime achievement award. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" from Couldn't Stand The Weather was nominated for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".
The band played Carnegie Hall in New York City on October 4, 1984. The show featured one Double Trouble set, and a second with guests Dr. John on keyboards, George Rains on drums, Jimmie Vaughan on guitar, Roomful of Blues Horns, and singer Angela Strehli. The group rehearsed in September 1984 at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, Texas.
In November, Vaughan won two W.C. Handy National Blues Awards: "Entertainer of the Year" and "Blues Instrumentalist of the Year". It was the first time a white person won either award. During this time, he also began recording with one of his earliest idols, blues-rock guitar pioneer Lonnie Mack, to produce the album Strike Like Lightning on the Alligator label.
In late January 1985, the band went on a six-night Japanese tour with various interviews and performances. In March, the band started to produce their third album Soul to Soul. Reese Wynans, a former keyboardist with Captain Beyond and Delbert McClinton's band, was added to the band not long after. The album's production lasted for two months. On April 10 Vaughan played "The Star Spangled Banner" for opening day of the National League baseball season at the Houston Astrodome (supposedly he didn't get a good audience response from that crowd; he did, at least, get to meet former New York Yankee great Mickey Mantle afterwards). Soul to Soul was released on September 30, 1985; Vaughan received his fifth Grammy nomination: "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for one of its songs, "Say What!".
In the following months of 1986, Vaughan and Double Trouble went on tour in New Zealand. It was around this time that he met Janna Lapidus, a touring model in New Zealand.
In mid-1986, the band was considering ideas of a new album, particularly a live album. Shows were set up at the Austin Opera House and at the Dallas Starfest. Audiences saw Vaughan struggle through these shows, as some of the original recordings were filled with technical difficulties.
On August 27, 1986, the Vaughan brothers' father, Big Jim, passed away of heart failure. A funeral was arranged two days later. The boys rushed home to comfort their mother, yet had little time to mourn. After the funeral was finished, a jet rushed Vaughan to Montreal, Quebec, where he played the "Labatt Blues Fest" (in Quebec, so named for their flagship beer "Labatt Blue"), known elsewhere as the "Miller Beer Festival" in Jarry Park.
The recordings in both Dallas and Austin, as well as the Montreux Jazz Festival, were edited and later released on Live Alive in November 1986.
Studio Albums:
Texas Flood (1983)
Couldn't Stand the Weather (1984)
Soul to Soul (1985)
In Step (1989)
Family Style (with Brother Jimmie Vaughan as "The Vaughan Brothers", 1990)
The Sky Is Crying (posthumous release) (1991)
Official live audio releases:
In the Beginning (Live, recorded 1980)
In Session (Live, with Albert King, recorded 1983)
Live at Carnegie Hall (Live, recorded 1984)
Live Alive (Live, recorded 1986)
Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985' (Live, recorded 1982 & 1985)
Wolfgang's Vault releases: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/stevie-ray-vaughan
Compilations:
Greatest Hits (1995)
The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1995)
The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1999)
Blues at Sunrise (2000)
SRV (box set, with early recordings, rarities, hits, and live material) (2000)
Hard to Be
Stevie Ray Vaughan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
Can't you see
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
When I'm alone with her
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
It's all I see
In my dreams, we'll be happy together
Side by side
I hope that our love will stay this way forever
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
Lookin' through her eyes
I see paradise, no mistake - she's full of fire
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
Well it's hard to be
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
Oh can't you see
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
When I'm alone with her
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
Hard to be, it's hard for me
It's hard to keep, keep me from my baby
The lyrics of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Hard to Be" express the singer's intense love and longing for his partner. He struggles to keep a distance from her, as being away from her drives him crazy. He misses her deeply when she's gone, and he wants to communicate his feelings to her. However, when they are together, he feels like he's in heaven, and it's all he can see. He hopes that their love will last forever and that they can be happy together.
The lyrics capture the intense passion and desire that one can feel when they're truly in love. The singer is so consumed by his emotions that he finds it hard to stay away from his partner. Even when they're apart, he can't stop thinking about her, and his longing intensifies. The lyrics also express the hope for a lasting love, a desire for the relationship to be permanent and for their happiness to last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard to be
Stevie Ray Vaughan expresses the difficulty he faces in dealing with his emotions.
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
Stevie Ray Vaughan finds it hard to keep distance from his lover.
Can't you see
Stevie Ray Vaughan asks the listener if they can understand his emotional struggle.
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Stevie Ray Vaughan feels crazy and restless when he's apart from his lover.
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
Stevie Ray Vaughan desires his lover's presence and feels a strong sense of loss when she's gone.
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
Stevie Ray Vaughan wants to communicate his love and emotions to his lover.
When I'm alone with her
Stevie Ray Vaughan enjoys being alone with his lover.
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
Stevie Ray Vaughan feels incredibly happy and content when he's holding his lover.
It's all I see
Stevie Ray Vaughan's primary focus is being with his lover.
In my dreams, we'll be happy together
Stevie Ray Vaughan visualizes a happy future with his lover while he's dreaming.
Side by side
Stevie Ray Vaughan wants to be with his lover constantly, by their side.
I hope that our love will stay this way forever
Stevie Ray Vaughan expresses the desire for his relationship to last forever.
Lookin' through her eyes
Stevie Ray Vaughan takes a moment to appreciate his lover's perspective.
I see paradise, no mistake - she's full of fire
Stevie Ray Vaughan describes his lover as passionate and full of life.
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
Stevie Ray Vaughan continues to describe his lover as energetic and unstoppable in their love.
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
Stevie Ray Vaughan emphasizes his strong desire for his lover.
Well it's hard to be
Stevie Ray Vaughan repeats his earlier sentiment about the difficulty of his emotional situation.
Oh can't you see
Stevie Ray Vaughan once again asks the listener to understand his struggles.
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Stevie Ray Vaughan reiterates his feelings of agitation when he's apart from his lover.
Hard to be, it's hard for me
Stevie Ray Vaughan repeats his initial sentiment that it's hard for him to deal with his emotions.
It's hard to keep, keep me from my baby
Stevie Ray Vaughan finds it hard to stay away from his lover.
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.