Stevie Ray Vaughan Wakes Up and Warms Up: Incredible 1986 Soundcheck

Features
By
published

It's annoyingly insane how incredible SRV could be at the drop of a hat—or at the ring of a bedside alarm clock.

(Image credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

Even though this video has been viewed almost 18 million times—it still strikes me as something of a rare bird (probably because I've—somehow—never seen it before!).

The clip, which apparently was shot in January 1986, shows Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble running through three songs—"Scuttle Buttin'," "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love" and "Say What!"—during a soundcheck at an unspecified venue.

According to the info posted with the video, it shows "Stevie just waking up, then warming up."

Assuming this is true, it's annoyingly insane how incredible SRV could be at the drop of a hat—or at the ring of a bedside alarm clock. It's particularly impressive how he digs into "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love," meaning he was truly "feeling it" that day. It's also sort of priceless to see Vaughan, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton and Reese Wynans just sort of milling about before and after takes.

Editor's Note: Here's some extra info attached to the video—"This was filmed Jan 1986 by Greg Savage of Savage Guitar Design and is used with permission. Greg is an expert luthier; visit Greg's page here.

- YouTube - YouTube
Watch On
Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.