Stevie Ray Vaughan threw a coming out party in 1983. Vaughan and his Double Trouble bandmates, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon had spent three days over the Thanksgiving holiday the previous year in Jackson Browne’s Los Angeles recording studio laying down the tracks for what would become the trio’s first album, Texas Flood. And after catching the ear of the legendary David Bowie, the 29-year old guitarist was poised to take the world by storm after laying down the famous solo on the title track to Bowie’s Let’s Dance album. 

Rather than take to the road with Bowie in support of the album, the driven and loyal Texan famously opted out at the last moment, choosing a van van over a tour bus, and spent much of the year on the road wowing audiences with Double Trouble – incidentally paralleling Bowie’s tour, as much of his touring schedule had been planned around the presumption that he and Double Trouble would be part of the Bowie’s tour.

As the year wound down, Vaughan joined one of his idols, Albert King in an Ontario TV studio on December 6 to record an episode of In Session. King and Vaughan, backed by Tony Llorens on piano and organ, Gus Thornton on bass and Michael Llorens on drums, spend most of the famous session reminiscing and trading licks on numbers from King’s extensive catalog. As their time wound down, however, King asks Vaughan what that ‘Fast thing you do, that rap thing’ referring to the younger guitarists hit, “Pride And Joy.” King hangs back, offering fitting fills, allowing Vaughan to take the lead on the only Double Trouble song recorded on the session. 

Watch the elder bluesman banter with Vaughan about ‘Who Stevie Ray Vaughan was’, and offer some advice to “Little Stevie” before delivering the memorable “Pride and Joy,” courtesy of Soul Music Jukebox on Youtube.

The Jam Buzz guest author for this week is Ross Mickel. Ross, aka ‘The Bootlegger’ is the producer and host of Bootleggers Beware, a weekly live music radio show airing from 10AM-1PM EST on The Radiator, 105.9FM in Burlington, VT, and a live music enthusiast, curating a collection of over 2500 recordings. Check out his website and on Facebook.