Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Texas Flood' Gets 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Press Release: An expanded two-disc 30th anniversary edition of Texas Flood, the electrifying debut album by the American blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, will be released January 29 via Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music.

A live sensation on the Austin, Texas club circuit since the late 1970s, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble--Stevie Ray (guitar, vocals), Tommy Shannon (bass) and Chris "Whipper" Layton (drums)--turned in a particularly memorable show at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1982, catching the ears of David Bowie (who enlisted Stevie Ray for his Let's Dance album) and Jackson Browne (who offered the band free use of his Los Angeles recording studio). Accepting the offer, Stevie Ray and Double Trouble recorded several tracks over a whirlwind three days (with day one mainly devoted to setting up equipment) with the resultant tracks grabbing the attention of legendary record producer John Hammond, who'd discovered and signed Bob Dylan, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Benny Goodman, Aretha Franklin and many others. Hammond brought Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble to Epic Records, which released the remastered tracks as Texas Flood in 1983.

Executive produced by John Hammond, the original Texas Flood album was produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton and engineer Richard Mullen. The Legacy Edition of Texas Flood is produced by Gregg Geller (who, as head of Epic's A&R 1983, signed Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble to the label).

An immediate and surprising success, Texas Flood peaked at #38 on the Billboard 200 while "Pride and Joy" shot up to #20 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album's title track was nominated for a Best Traditional Blues Performance Grammy while "Rude Mood" grabbed a Grammy nom for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album has sold more than 2 million copies since its original release.

Originally released on Epic Records on June 13, 1983, Texas Flood, an unapologetic apotheosis of electric blues supercharged for a post-disco post-punk pop world, introduced audiences to a soul-filled sound that existed outside both the mainstream and underground tastes of its era. The album opened the gates of a fiery blues resurgence with Stevie Ray Vaughan signature compositions like "Pride and Joy" and "Love Struck Baby" flowing naturally alongside covers of deep blues and R&B standards by Howlin' Wolf, the Isley Brothers, Buddy Guy and Larry Davis.

Disc One of the 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition of Texas Flood includes the original album in its entirety with the bonus track "Tin Pan Alley" (aka "Roughest Place in Town").

Disc Two of the newly expanded Texas Flood will premiere a previously unavailable hour's long set of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at Ripley's Music Hall in Philadelphia. Recorded on October 20, 1983 for a WMMR broadcast, the extraordinary Ripley's performance finds Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble coming straight out of the gun already at an undeniable peak of their formidible powers.

Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble - Texas Flood
(2 CD 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition)

Disc One - Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Pride and Joy
Texas Flood
Tell Me
Testify
Rude Mood
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Dirty Pool
I'm Cryin'
Lenny

Bonus track:
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)

Executive Producer: John Hammond
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen and Double Trouble

Disc Two - Live at Ripley's Music Hall, Philadelphia, October 20, 1983
Testify
So Excited
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Pride and Joy
Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Little Wing/Third Stone From The Sun

Previously unreleased

The 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition of Texas Flood includes extensive liner notes by noted music historian Ashley Kahn (A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album; Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece). In his notes, Kahn writes, "The story of Texas Flood—more than any other recording by the guitarist—is the story of Stevie Ray. The album stands closest to his personal roots, roots that grew from a loamy mix of deep Southern blues, Texas R&B, and white-boy rock 'n' roll. It echoes his earliest triumphs as a guitarist, and serves as the triumphant finish-line to a ten-year run of hustling and scuffling that began in 1973, when the Dallas-born, 18-year old left home for the Austin music scene."

Comments

[Todd Richards]

Hard to believe it's been over 20 years. Almost did a radio event on the 27th of August, but just couldn't bring myself to celebrate his passing. Rather I'd much rather just have a day and play his recordings (as well as the recordings in his wake - Arc Angels, Double Troubel, Storryville, Doyle B. II, Charlie Sexton, John Mayer (influenced by and has done covers etc). And of course Jimmy V. as well.

Hmm - any takers?