Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan has become the party animals' guitar hero of choice, and his concert at the Greek Theatre on Saturday resembled a beer bust more than a concert--talk about a loud crowd! But then, the Austin bluesbreaker plays one loud guitar. He's an amazing technician who has processed a whole history of styles into his playing: On those twangy bass notes you hear Duane Eddy or Link Wray, on those voodoo-ish high squeals there's a Hendrix spirit riding in for the overkill.

Doyle Bramhall Bluesman collaborated with Stevie Ray Vaughan Doyle Bramhall, 62, a blues singer, drummer and songwriter best known for his collaborations with the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, died Saturday at his home in Alpine, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported. The cause was not given. Bramhall wrote or co-wrote numerous songs recorded by Vaughan, including "The House Is Rockin'," "Life by the Drop," "Scratch-N-Sniff" and "Tight Rope. " In Texas he was a draw on his own, a bandleader with a gritty and soulful blues voice that greatly influenced the way Vaughan sang.

"Leave 'em wanting more" is a maxim that Stevie Ray Vaughan obviously doesn't believe in. His first number at the Wiltern Theatre on Wednesday was the kind of blistering, breakneck instrumental that most would save for the climax of a set--if they could handle such a workout at all. From there on out, it was a true-to-form exhausting edition of Blues You Can Dance To, with little relief from the blitz for the tired or timid.

Robin Givhan has it all wrong when she writes, "You walk away from the blues feeling drained and spent" ["Singing the Blues on Kennedy Awards," Dec. 26]. Not true. The blues is there to ease the pain, and hearing it with your heart wide open will always lift life up. It's like Stevie Ray Vaughan once said, "If the blues makes you sad, you're not listening right at all." Bill Bentley Studio City

Clifford Antone, owner of the namesake blues club in Austin, Texas, credited with launching the careers of Stevie Ray Vaughan and other musicians, died Tuesday. He was 56. Laura Albrecht, a spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department, said officers responded to a 911 call at Antone's home. The death did not appear to be suspicious, and the cause was being investigated. Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker and B.B.

Grammy-winning blues-rock guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed early Monday in a Wisconsin helicopter crash whose circumstances offered an eerie parallel to rock's most famous air tragedy--the 1959 crash involving Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (the Big Bopper) Richardson.

In an environment perked up by performances from pianist Dr. John, singer Irma Thomas, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and singer/harmonica player John Mayall, the lineup for Benson and Hedges Blues, a weeklong blues festival to be held in the Southland in June, was announced Thursday at a press conference at the China Club in Hollywood. Blues greats B.B.

Vaughan Charity: More than $26,000 has been donated to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Charitable Fund with Bruce Springsteen chipping in $10,000. The foundation, which will give the money to drug rehabilitation programs, also has received many heartfelt letters about Vaughan, the blues guitarist killed in a Wisconsin helicopter crash after a concert last month.

* * * Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, "The Sky Is Crying," Epic. No posthumous dregs-dipping here: These 10 previously unreleased tracks form a good, varied collection of familiar pleasures (shuffles and slow blues) and fresh surprises. A gorgeous instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" shows Vaughan at his inventive best, achieving a remarkable balance of restlessness and restraint, beauty and ferocity.

Robin Givhan has it all wrong when she writes, "You walk away from the blues feeling drained and spent" ["Singing the Blues on Kennedy Awards," Dec. 26]. Not true. The blues is there to ease the pain, and hearing it with your heart wide open will always lift life up. It's like Stevie Ray Vaughan once said, "If the blues makes you sad, you're not listening right at all." Bill Bentley Studio City

Clifford Antone, owner of the namesake blues club in Austin, Texas, credited with launching the careers of Stevie Ray Vaughan and other musicians, died Tuesday. He was 56. Laura Albrecht, a spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department, said officers responded to a 911 call at Antone's home. The death did not appear to be suspicious, and the cause was being investigated. Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker and B.B.

The Guy Martin Group will unveil its brand-new CD, "In This Together," at a brand-new place, the Season Ticket. And it is all happening Friday night in Simi Valley. For fans of rockin' Texas blues by way of California, this Ventura Guy is The Man, dude. And Martin, a self-taught player, learned from the best. He was inspired by a pair of the musically missing--the dearly departed Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Hollywood couldn't have scripted a better scenario. At the age of 7, Kenny Wayne Shepherd attended a concert in his native Louisiana by blues-rock master Stevie Ray Vaughan. The son of a radio programmer, Shepherd was allowed to view the guitar virtuoso from a privileged perch atop an onstage amplifier. Six months later, the thoroughly inspired tyke had convinced his parents to buy him a guitar.

If magazine covers are one way to measure the cultural status of deceased stars, another is to watch the demand for items owned by or connected to them in auctions and sales. By that standard, Cobain's legacy remains strong--and is climbing into the rarefied air of Elvis and the Beatles. It's not just big-ticket items, like the guitar (complete with dried blood from his fingers) that was auctioned last year in New York for $17,000, that command interest.

On Aug. 28 I read a bizarre front-page story by Robert Hilburn that dealt more with the "similarities" between the deaths of Buddy Holly and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan (on Aug. 27) than anything else. Then there was a tasteless companion article itemizing a variety of musicians' deaths. Now, I understand that Calendar isn't responsible for the front page. Still, it seems to me you could have run an article about Vaughan, something less morbid and more in depth (other than the small piece on his upcoming album)

LEGAL FILE Drug Case Updates: A trio of celebrity drug defendants appeared in court Friday, and all received good news. Depeche Mode singer David Gahan, who overdosed in May at a West Hollywood hotel, was placed in a diversion program by a Beverly Hills Superior Court judge and is expected to rejoin the band in London next month to continue work on an upcoming album.

For a young musician, the task of finding one's own identity is tough enough. For Texas-bred guitarist, singer and songwriter Ian Moore, that job is made more difficult by those who have labeled him "the next Stevie Ray Vaughan." Though well-meaning and basically complimentary, comparisons to the late Texas blues guitarist distort, if not ignore, the expanding musical terrain that Moore has explored over the course of two studio albums and a live EP.