Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan

American guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the founders of blues rock band Double Trouble, died when the helicopter in which he was traveling crashed on the side of a ski hill at Alpine Valley Resort in East Troy, Wisconsin, on Monday, August 27, 1990. All five people on board the helicopter were killed. Vaughan had just performed at the resort's amphitheatre with Double Trouble. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, where it was stated that all of the victims were killed instantly. Shortly after local news stations reported Vaughan's death, crowds gathered at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas for a candlelight vigil. He was buried on August 30, 1990, at the Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas.

Crash

The day before his death, Vaughan told his band and crew members about a horrible nightmare he had, in which he was at his own funeral and saw thousands of mourners. He felt "terrified, yet almost peaceful."^[1] Backstage after the show that evening, the musicians talked about playing together again, particularly with Eric Clapton for a series of dates at London's Royal Albert Hall in February and March 1991, as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.^[2] Moments later, Peter Jackson, Clapton's tour manager, said that the weather was getting worse and they had to leave soon.^[3] According to Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, Vaughan's last words to him were, "I love ya."^[4][5]

Dew was settling on the windshields of the four helicopters waiting to transport the performers back to Chicago. Stevie Ray, his elder brother Jimmie Vaughan, and his wife Connie made their way to their reserved helicopter, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger, registration N16933,^[6] booked by Omniflight Helicopters and piloted by Jeff Brown, a 42-year-old veteran pilot.^[5][7] Peter Jackson, one of Clapton's tour managers let Vaughan know that three seats were reserved for himself, Jimmie, and Connie.^[2][8] Upon arrival, they discovered that their seats had been taken by members of Clapton's crew, agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe.^[2][5][9] Vaughan, wanting to get back to Chicago, asked Jimmie and Connie if he could take the last seat, saying "I really need to get back."^[2][5] They obliged and caught the next flight in Lake Geneva with Layton and Jimmie's manager, Mark Proct.^[2]

At 1 a.m., the helicopters departed in dense fog at two-minute intervals.^[10] Jeff Brown, occupying the right seat in the cockpit, guided the helicopter off the golf course, remaining at a high speed and slightly lower altitude than the others.^[7][11] It banked sharply^[9] to the left^[7] and crashed into the side of a 300-foot-high ski slope,^[12] about 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from takeoff.^[7] All on board were killed instantly.^[13] With no fire or explosion, the bodies and debris were scattered over an area of 200 square feet (19 m²).^[8][11][12] Nobody was aware of the crash until the helicopter failed to arrive at its destination the next morning.

At 7 a.m., a Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol ^[14][15]search helicopter, carrying sheriff's deputies, found the wreckage, which was 50 feet (15 m) below the summit of the hill.^[7][11] Shortly after, Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan were called to the morgue to identify the bodies.^[12] According to an autopsy report, Vaughan had suffered many unsurvivable injuries, such as transection and dissection of the aorta and multiple depressed skull fractures, along with ruptured spleen and liver, and fractures of the right thigh bone and ribs.^[16] An investigation found that no drugs or alcohol were involved, and all victims had worn seatbelts. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were found with the helicopter.^[7] Pilot Jeff Brown was instrument rated and had many hours of experience operating the Bell 206B at night. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the cause of the accident was deemed to be controlled flight into terrain; Brown simply could not see the hill due to low visibility.^[11]

Aftermath

Vaughan's death triggered an outpouring of grief and shock around the world. The album Family Style, the only collaboration recorded with his brother Jimmie, was released in September 1990 and became Stevie Ray Vaughan's best-selling non-Double Trouble album. On August 30, 1990, Vaughan was buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas. Funeral services were held, with over 1,500 people attending and 3,000 more outside the chapel. His fiancée, Janna Lapidus, Jimmie and Martha Vaughan were in attendance. Among the other mourners were Stevie Wonder, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Nile Rodgers.^[17]

Omniflight, the company that owned and operated the helicopter, was sued for negligence by Martha and Jimmie Vaughan. They claimed that Pilot Jeff Brown operated the helicopter recklessly under visual flight rules while in instrument meteorological conditions. The lawsuit ended in a settlement. ^[18] The widows of Clapton's bodyguard, Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager, Colin Smythe, received more than $2 million in settlements.^[19]

Memorials and tributes

Jimmie Vaughan later co-wrote and recorded a song in tribute to his brother and other deceased blues guitarists titled "Six Strings Down". Bonnie Raitt's 1991 album Luck of the Draw was dedicated to him. Many other artists recorded songs in remembrance of Vaughan, including Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, Buddy Guy, Steve Vai, Ezra Charles and Wayne Perkins. Stevie Wonder, whose "Superstition" Vaughan covered, honored him with "Stevie Ray Blues" on his 1995 live album Natural Wonder. Musicians such as Joe Bonamassa,^[20] John Mayer,^[20] Robert Randolph,^[21] Kenny Wayne Shepherd,^[22] Mark Tremonti,^[23] Chris Duarte,^[24] Colin James,^[25] Los Lonely Boys,^[20][26] Mike McCready, Eric Johnson,^[27] Orianthi,^[28] John Petrucci,^[29] and Doyle Bramhall II^[30] have cited Vaughan as an influence.

An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Dallas Texas benefits the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.^[31] The city of Austin erected the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, the site of a number of his concerts. It has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.^[32] Since 1998, St. Louis has hosted an annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Concert around Thanksgiving featuring local musicians.^[33] In 2000, Vaughan was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He also became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.^[34] In 2008, residents voted to rename Dallas' Industrial Boulevard, with Vaughan's name being one of the finalists alongside Stanley Marcus, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and César Chávez.^[35]

Notes

Bibliography

• Leigh, Keri (1993). Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. 
• Patoski, Joe Nick; Bill Crawford (1993). Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-16068-1. 
• Kitts, Jeff (1997). Guitar world presents Stevie Ray Vaughan: ... from the pages of Guitar World magazine. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-7935-8080-4. 
• Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-747-9. 
• Dickerson, James (September 25, 2004). The fabulous Vaughan Brothers: Jimmie and Stevie Ray. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-116-9. 
• Everitt, Rich (September 2004). Falling stars: air crashes that filled rock and roll heaven. Atlanta: Harbor House. ISBN 978-1-891799-04-4.