Rock and Blues Musician. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he was part of a musical family. His elder brother Jimmie, guitarist in the group "The Fabulous Thunderbirds," introduced his younger brother to rock and blues via his record collection. Stevie Ray Vaughan came to appreciate guitarists such as B.B. King, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Eric Clapton (The Yardbirds/John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers/Cream/Blind Faith) and many others, by listening to their recordings. He learned to play by borrowing his brother's guitar and following him to his concerts. By 1975, he was a member of "The Cobras," followed by "Triple Threat," a band that evolved into "Double Trouble." Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (members include bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton). After performing at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival and David Bowie's "Let's Dance" album, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were signed by legendary Columbia Records (CBS) talent scout-producer John Hammond to Epic Records and released "Texas Flood" (1983), an album that showed his widening interests. After its release, he and the band were huge in the blues-rock scene, and the album won a string of awards internationally. The follow-up album, "Couldn't Stand the Weather" (1984) was another critical success. After keyboardist Reese Wynans joined Double Trouble in 1985, a third album was released titled "Soul to Soul" (1985) and a live album was released, "Live Alive" (1986). A subsequent period of personal decline ended with him collapsing on stage in 1986 due to alcohol and an overindulgence of drugs. Three years later after an intensive rehabilitation, he returned with "In Step" (1989), an album evidencing maturity and musicianship. He then recorded "Family Style" (1990) with brother Jimmie. Before the album's release in August 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a private helicopter crash, in a thick fog in East Troy, Wisconsin, after leaving a concert at which he'd appeared with musicians Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughn. In 1994, a memorial statue of him was erected by the city of Austin, Texas at the intersection of Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail (South Bank at South 1st and Riverside Drive). In 2015, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.