One of the musicians who contributed to the 80s Blues revival and the reemergence of many long-forgotten famous performers was the guitarist and singer Stevie Ray Vaughan. American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan are regarded as one of the finest guitarists of all time. He was born in 1954 in Dallas, Texas, and got his start on the guitar at a young age.
Vaughan’s playing was distinguished by his remarkable technical skill and his rich, deep timbre. He was renowned for using the blues scale and his spontaneity in improvising and producing brilliant solos. Several guitarists were impacted by his playing, and he still serves as an example for musicians throughout.
Now, the guitarist that Stevie Ray said was the most original one. In 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan released his debut album, which propelled him to stardom in the music industry at the time by fusing Blues with Rock and Roll. The artist consistently cited early Blues musicians who were a great inspiration to him in practically every interview he did. After he already had three albums out, Stevie mentioned the guitarist who, in his opinion, was the most original one he knew in an interview from 1985.
He said, “Hubert Sumlin was the driving force behind Howlin’ Wolf. (He) never, ever had his name on a Howlin’ Wolf record. He wrote a lot of those songs and nobody ever mentioned his name. Hubert Sumlin actually wrote ‘Killing Floor’. Hubert Sumlin is my twin brother. (He) is like my flip-side twin brother. We wear the exact same hat size, clothes size. He calls me his little brother. Actually, I call him my little brother. Hubert’s is probably the most original guitar player I know. He is wonderful.”
For Stevie, he saw something in Hubert only in very few other guitarists. Stevie Ray Vaughan had the chance to co-headline a tour in 1989 with his friend and idol Jeff Beck. They spent almost a month traveling together as part of “The Fire Meets the Fury Tour”. They conducted numerous interviews together to promote the gigs, and one of them was included in Guitar Player magazine in 1990.
In the conversation, SRV praised Beck and cited Sumlin as an example. The artist claimed that one of Beck’s qualities that left him in awe was his capacity to build on his musical foundations and reach new heights. Stevie only observed it in other players like Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy.
