Jimmie Vaughan talks about his future and his past

Interview conduct March 28, 2019

Photos Ralto Theatre,Tucson, AZ , April 04, 2019

by Mary Andrews

The legendary blues performer, Jimmie Vaughan, is currently on tour supporting his upcoming album release, Baby, Please Come Home. Vaughan has been doing his part in keeping the blues alive for more than 50 years. Vaughan recalled running away from home at the age of 14 to start his musical career. He moved to Austin in 1968.

Vaughan founded and performed in the band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds until 1990. He released the only album that he made with his brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan.  His first solo album followed in 1994.

Fender guitars produced a ‘Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster’ for the four-time Grammy Award winner. We were able to have a telephone conversation with Vaughan as he was traveling between gigs. Here is what we learned.

Unrated Magazine: We are excited that you are coming to Tucson next week to play at the Rialto Theatre. Are you already on the road?

Jimmie Vaughan: We just started the tour and we’ve got two or three weeks of touring for the next few months. We are not on the road all the time but we go out for two or threes at a time. 

You have a new album coming out in May and we had an opportunity to give it a listen yesterday. We love it. Did you have a theme in mind when you put it together?

You do? Well good for me. Thank you. The songs are a collection about love. You may have love but you don’t know how long you are going to have it because they may dump you tomorrow. You know what I mean?

Life is unpredictable. The songs are all cover songs aren’t they? How did pick the songs on the album?

Jimmie Vaughan (credit: Mary Andrews)

They are a group of cover songs. Here’s what I’ve done over the years. When I play my music, I only play what I want to play and what I want to hear or what I am trying to learn about.  It’s totally 100 per cent selfish. I figure if I do that, I really love it and hopefully it’ll sound better and it’ll be more interesting for other people. It’s probably not for everyone. It’s kind of like having your cake and eating it too. I was handed songs a couple of times before and I didn’t like it. I still write songs. I’m working on an album of new songs. You know it’s funny, a lot of my new songs sound like old songs. Really all of that doesn’t matter as long as I like the songs.

The album seems to be very nostalgic taking the listener back to the 1950s. It is a pleasure trip to the blues and early rock and roll.

I pretty much ignore everything else except what I like musically speaking. That way it’s like hanging out with your favorite painting so to speak. That’s the goal anyway.

How would you classify your music? Would you call it Texas blues or soul and blues? Or do you even think about that?

I don’t really think about it. I suppose if you didn’t know me, you would think I was desperate by some of the song lyrics that I sing.

Yes but those are some of the best songs. Country music has survived using those kinds of lyrics. Don’t you think?

Yes, I think my music is R&B, mostly blues with some country and rock and roll blended. I’m talking about the 50s kind of stuff. That’s really where I live. There is something about that time that speaks to me mentally. That is true more so now. I don’t find any pleasure trying to reinvent the wheel. The blues and rock and roll started out in the same groove. They had to figure out categories that they could put the music in so they could sell it to different groups of people.

When I was a kid, eight, nine or ten years old, my uncles all played country and western music. They loved that. There were a lot of musicians in the family. All were guitar players and I had an acoustic guitar. They said,’ Jim, what kind of music do you like?’ I said, ‘I like blues’ and they asked, ‘What’s that?’ Really, it was the same thing that they were playing. For instance, they were playing Merle Travis. If you go listen to Merle Travis, I’m sorry, but it’s blues. It’s the same as R & B or blues. It’s all about people singing about what they like or don’t like or what they want or doesn’t want.

It sounds like you came from a huge musical family. Can we talk about that?

My uncles didn’t always play professionally, but they were always playing. My aunt would have ‘42 parties’ you know like domino playing parties. They would play dominos on the weekends. All these people would come over and bring their guitars. They would sit in the living room when they weren’t at the table. They would play their guitars. There were always three or four electric guitars around all the time. This was before I started playing it. It wasn’t very long before I started doing that. We played all kinds of music. In Dallas, when I was a kid, the country bands would play honky-Tonk, Jimmy Reed and Chuck Berry songs. So, what’s the difference? The country bands had steel guitars, but they also had saxophones and harmonicas. I like to think of it a piece of just American music.

How did you develop your own style of guitar playing with all of those influences?

Once I figured how to play, I listened to Buddy Guy and B. B. King. One guy would lead me to another guy. I would imagine that I was in a room with all of my favorite guitar players. It all went around and around.  When it got to me, what was I going to do? I couldn’t do what they did exactly. So, I’m still on that journey trying to figure that out. If you are a musician, I think you can ask yourself, what is my sound? Even if it is by elimination, you’ll figure out something.

Who are your major influences in the entertainment business?

I started out liking guitar players because I like the guitar.  Now I like saxophone players, piano and organ players. I like all kinds of music. I love ‘You Tube’ and so I go on You Tube and listen to Paganini if I want to. Last week I watched a whole documentary on Segovia. Just because I listen to something or appreciate it, doesn’t mean I have to try and do that. I enjoy watching them play and listen to how they figured out what they wanted to do.

Who are your favorite blues performers?

I like a lot of old records. I like Lightnin’ Hopkins. I love Kenny Burrell. I like Grant Green, BB King, and Buddy Guy. Gene Emmons on sax is my favorite guy. But you know. You become a fan of a certain musician and when they play, they talk to you. You follow what they do.  You appreciate what they have done and what they went through.

Dead or alive whom would you like to meet?

Oh, goodness. I like Gene Ammons’ story. He was a great sax player. All of those great records he recorded while he was in prison. They would get him out of prison on the weekends and they would take him to the recording studio. They would record two or three albums and then they would take him back. That must have been difficult for him.

Dead or alive, whom would you like to see perform?

I always enjoyed Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed and Eddie Taylor. I’ve seen them in the past. I would have loved to have seen Guitar Slim. I’ve heard so many wild stories about Guitar Slim. He was like the first guy with the long guitar cord. He would go outside and play. I’ve heard a lot of stories from Buddy Guy and lots of other guys about Guitar Slim. That would be a great one.

Can we talk about Stevie Ray Vaughan a little bit? Were you close to Stevie?

Jimmie Vaughan (credit: Mary Andrews)

Yes, Stevie was my little brother. There were only two of us, me and Stevie. I’m four years older than him. I think we were pretty normal little boys. I started playing guitar first. I started playing guitar, had gigs and a band. I would put down my guitar and tell Stevie ‘don’t mess with my guitar.’ Of course,then he would pick it up. What happened with the age difference, he watched me learn how to play. Then he would pick it up when I wasn’t there. Later we would both have guitars and our dad would say when people would come over and visit, ‘Jim, go get your guitar and play something for our guests.’ In the beginning Stevie had a little toy guitar, the little one with the cowboys on it. He started bringing it anyway. I was his first influence on the guitar.

When I was about 14, I ran away from home. I left him a guitar. I ran away to be in a band. He moved to Austin when he was about 18. I saw him in between time. He was trying to get through school. My parents were worried that he was going to do the same thing that I did. They clamped down on him and said, ‘You are going to go to school. You’re not going to do what your big brother did, flying the coup.’ That just made him try harder. It has a lot to do with how he got so good. His gumption was incredible. With my parents trying to take care of him and making sure he went to school, he wasn’t going to be like me. I think it lit a fire under him. That all worked out pretty good, didn’t it?

It sure did. What would you consider the highlight of your career?

I wouldn’t want to say it has already happened. I’ve had many, many highlights over the years. Mine might be coming up. We’ve got a gig at the Royal Albert Hall this summer. We have a tour all over the place, We’ve got a new album. There are things like that coming up. I would like to think it is still going to happen. It is not over. Here’s the thing with me. I play the guitar and I listen to music every single day. I absolutely adore it, love it, and live for it. I think I enjoy it more now than I used to when I was younger. It’s still growing with me. I’m just having a ball and I get to play every day. It’s nice to have a gig, but if I don’t have a gig, I’m playing at home. 

It sounds like you are a very happy man.

I am a happy man. I have a beautiful family. I live out in the country and I have a great time. Damn!

Vaughan is presently touring with Buddy Guy. He will be opening for Eric Clapton the Royal Albert Hall in London. Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival was recently announced and Vaughan is on the roster of performers for 2019. The new album, Baby, Please Don’t Go, will be released on May 17. 19

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