At 70, guitarist
Jimmie Vaughan is a living link in the Texas blues legacy chain that also gave us
T-Bone Walker,
Lightning Hopkins,
Albert Collins,
Freddie King,
Zuzu Bollin,
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown,
Johnny Copeland, and
Jimmie's younger brother,
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Jimmie arrived in Austin from Dallas in the late 1960s. He developed an original playing style that relies more on feel, groove, and swing than flash. The
Jimmie Vaughan Story, curated by
Last Music Co.'s
Malcolm Mills, contains 96 tracks spanning five discs with more than six hours of music; 29 selections are previously unissued.
The lion's share of the material on the first two discs is drawn from
Vaughan's influential tenure with
the Fabulous Thunderbirds between 1979 and 1989, alongside vocalist/harmonicist
Kim Wilson, bassist
Keith Ferguson, and drummers
Mike Buck or
Fran Christina. Disc one's 27 tracks are drawn from the band's first seven albums on the
Benchmark,
Chrysalis, and
Epic labels -- from 1979's
Girls Go Wild through 1989's
Powerful Stuff. It's essentially a fine best-of containing all the hits and near misses including "She's Tuff," "How Do You Spell Love?," "Wrap It Up," and more. Disc two kicks off with four unreleased 1979
T-Birds cuts co-produced by
Doc Pomus and
Joel Dorn. Also included are five previously unreleased tunes from a 1979 Antone's performance and late catalog tracks. It also reveals the beginning of
Vaughan's solo career with "Cold, Cold, Feelin'" with
Albert Collins, and "You're Sweet" with
Jimmy Rogers. It concludes with two tracks from the
Vaughan Brothers 1990 album,
Family Style. Disc three contains tracks from
Vaughan's early solo outings such as 1994's
Strange Pleasure and 1998's
Out There, compilation and soundtrack material, and guest spots on albums by
Doyle Bramhall,
Bo Diddley,
Lou Ann Barton, and others. Its closing jam is 1995's unreleased "I Don't Live Here Anymore" with
Delbert McClinton. Disc four offers tunes from
Vaughan's later solo outings such as
Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites, and collaborations with legends including
John Lee Hooker,
Lazy Lester,
James Cotton,
Susan Tedeschi, and
Charlie Musselwhite. Among its highlights is the previously unreleased "What Am I Living For?" with longtime collaborator
Barton. The final disc here includes live, studio, and guest spots, and three unissued cuts with
Vaughan's pre-
Thunderbirds band,
Storm. The highlights include a scorching "The Pleasure's All Mine" with
Bonnie Raitt and "Wine Wine, Wine" with
Billy Gibbons. The 12" x 12" box also includes two 7" singles, a vinyl copy of 2001's
Do You Get the Blues?, a hand-signed cover placard, and an issue of Rodder's Journal featuring
Vaughan's car collection. In a slipcase with the discs is a hardbound book containing dozens of rare photos, a long autobiographical essay by
Vaughan, and another essay by
Bill Bentley.
The Jimmie Vaughan Story is an historic document: It offers a detailed view of the guitarist's long career as a sideman who emerged as a truly original stylist, and provides an intimate, first-person overview of the Texas blues scene during a seminal period. ~ Thom Jurek
![The The Jimmie Vaughan Story [Deluxe Edition 5CD Set, 12-Inch Vinyl, 2x7-Inch Singles & Book]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5052442019213_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg)
![The The Jimmie Vaughan Story [Deluxe Edition 5CD Set, 12-Inch Vinyl, 2x7-Inch Singles & Book]](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.5.5)
![The The Jimmie Vaughan Story [Deluxe Edition 5CD Set, 12-Inch Vinyl, 2x7-Inch Singles & Book]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5052442019213_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg)
![Rockin' at the Drive-In [Expanded]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0029667199421_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Rockin' at the Drive-In [Expanded]")
