| Jimmie Lee Vaughan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 September 1921 Rockwall, Texas, United States |
| Died | 27 August 1986 (aged 64) Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Asbestos worker, auto mechanic |
| Spouse | Martha Vaughan (m. 1950–1986) |
| Children | James Lawrence Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan |
Jimmie Lee "Big Jim" Vaughan (September 6, 1921 – August 27, 1986) was the father of American blues guitarists Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Big Jim was known as being boisterous and quick-tempered.[1] He had relatives who performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Tommy Dorsey.[1] Big Jim died on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis.[2]
Born in Rockwall, Texas, Big Jim was the son of a sharecropper, growing up with his mother and seven siblings when his father died in 1928.[3] At age sixteen, he dropped out of school and enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.[3]
After the war, Big Jim relocated to Oak Cliff, a suburb of Dallas, and worked as a sales clerk at a 7-Eleven convenience store.[3] One of Big Jim's frequent customers was Martha Cook, a graduate of Sunset High School.[3] They married on January 13, 1950. Both Big Jim and Martha had a love for music. Though they didn't play any instruments, they liked dance to Western swing at local juke joints and ballrooms.[1] He often played "42," a game with dominoes, with members of Bob Wills' band The Texas Playboys.[4][5][6]
Martha gave birth to their first son James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan on March 20, 1951.[1] Three years later, they had another son named Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan.[7] Big Jim soon found a new job as an asbestos worker, taking the family to various construction sites throughout the South.[1] Eventually, they settled into a modest home in Oak Cliff.[7] After long days at work, Big Jim liked to relax by drinking alcohol, though he would take his frustrations out on his family.[7]
After working in a garage in his later years,[8] Big Jim died at the Medical City Dallas Hospital on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis.[2] He is buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.[2]
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