JIMMIE VAUGHAN
''PLAYS MORE BLUES, BALLADS & FAVORITES''
JULY 26 2011
46:52
1 /I Ain't Never
Tillis/3:04
2 /No Use Knocking Feat. Lou Ann Barton
Gayten / Guidry/3:27
3 /Teardrop Blues
liggins/4:47
4 /I Hang My Head and Cry/3:41
5 /It's Been a Long Time/3:33
6 /Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Feat. Lou Ann Barton
Bourgeois/2:46
7 /What Makes You So Tough/3:38
8 /Greenbacks/2:11
9 /I'm in the Mood for You Feat. Lou Ann Barton/2:22
10 /I Ain't Gonna Do It No More
Guidry/3:50
11 /Cried Like a Baby/3:55
12 /Oh Oh Oh/4:00
13 /I'm a Love You/2:49
14 /The Rains Came/2:49
Lou Ann Barton /Vocals
Mike Flanigan /Hammond B3
Doug James /Sax (Baritone)
Ronnie James /Bass
Derek O'Brien /Guitar
Ephraim Owens /Trumpet
Greg Piccolo /Sax (Tenor)
Billy Pitman /Guitar (Rhythm)
George Rains /Drums
Jimmie Vaughan /Guitar, Vocals
Bill Willis /Hammond B3
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
"If at first you succeed, do it again," seems to be Austin blues/R&B guitarist Jimmie Vaughan's motto, as he returns to the well that provided a hit for him only a year before this second volume's release. Since it took nearly nine years between albums before this, it's obvious that both the acceptance of the last set, and its concept, were something that resonated with him enough to bring the same band back for another batch of covers of cool obscurities from the past. Recording in mono -- oddly not noted on the sleeve notes -- and live in the studio provides a batch of hot-wired, energized performances that do justice to songs that were likely originally recorded under similar circumstances five or six decades ago. Only the most obsessive of blues fans will recognize some of the artists such as Jivin' Gene, Teddy Humphries, and Annie Laurie who first recorded these minor gems, let alone the songs themselves. Vaughan digs deep to unearth seldom heard, let alone covered, tracks associated with better-known figures like Ray Charles, Jimmy Liggins, and Hank Williams, Sr. He also revives another Jimmy Reed cover, "I'm a Love You," something he has been obsessed with after recording two albums of the bluesman's material riding shotgun to Omar Kent Dykes. Once again, Lou Ann Barton jumps on board to add her distinctive Southern voice in duet settings and even gets her picture on the cover, even though she only contributes to three tracks, one less than last time. A two-man horn section of saxists Doug James and Greg Piccolo, both ex-Roomful of Blues, brings the jump blues titles into full swing. Vaughan keeps his typically clipped solos sharp and punchy, using his instrument to punctuate rather than drive the attack. It sounds as loose and animated as studio sessions can be, with seemingly no overdubs to rob the music of its natural spontaneity. Liner notes explaining how Vaughan came in contact with, and was influenced by, these relatively lost gems would have gone a long way to help newcomers appreciate his motivation. Regardless, this remains a terrific, crackling listen and a great party album that sounds as rollicking in 2011 as it would have 50 years earlier.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Vaughan was one of the leading Austin, Texas guitarists of the late '70s and '80s, responsible for opening the national market up for gritty roadhouse blues and R&B. Influenced by guitarists like Freddie King, B.B. King, and Albert King, Vaughan developed a tough, lean sound that became one of the most recognizable sounds of '70s and '80s blues and blues-rock. For most of his career, Vaughan co-led the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist Kim Wilson. It wasn't until 1994 that he launched a full-fledged solo career.
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jimmie Vaughan began playing guitar as a child. Initially, Vaughan was influenced by both blues and rock & roll. While he was in his teens, he played in a number of garage rock bands, none of which attained any success. At the age of 19, he left Dallas and moved to Austin. For his first few years in Austin, Vaughan played in a variety of blues bar bands. In 1972, he formed his own group, the Storm, which supported many touring blues musicians.
In 1974, Vaughan met a vocalist and harmonica player named Kim Wilson. Within a year, the pair had formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds along with bassist Keith Furguson and drummer Mike Buck. For four years, the T-Birds played local Texas clubs, gaining a strong fan base. By the end of the decade, the group had signed a major label contract with Chrysalis Records and seemed bound for national stardom. However, none of their albums became hits and they were dropped by Chrysalis at the end of 1982.
At the same time the T-Birds were left without a recording contract, Jimmie's younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan, came storming upon the national scene with his debut album, Texas Flood. For the next few years, Stevie Ray dominated not only the Texan blues scene, but the entire American scene, while Jimmie and the Thunderbirds were struggling to survive. the T-Birds finally received a new major-label contract in 1986 with Epic/Associated and their first album for the label, Tuff Enuff, was a surprise hit, selling over a million copies and spawning the Top Ten hit title track.
the Fabulous Thunderbirds spent the rest of the '80s trying to replicate the success of Tuff Enuff, often pursuing slicker, more commercially oriented directions. By 1989, Jimmie Vaughan was frustrated by the group's musical direction and he left the band. Before launching a solo career, he recorded a duet album with his brother, Stevie Ray, Family Style. Following the completion of the record, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a tragic helicopter crash in August of 1990. Family Style appeared just a few months later, in the fall of 1990.
After Stevie Ray's death, Jimmie took a couple of years off, in order to grieve and recoup. After a couple of years, he began playing the occasional concert. In 1994, he returned with his first solo album, Strange Pleasures, which received good reviews and sold respectably. Vaughan supported Strange Pleasures with a national tour. Out There followed in 1998. Released in 2010, Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites found Vaughan covering songs by Jimmy Reed, Little Richard, Roy Milton, Roscoe Gordon and others who inspired him when he was first starting out as a musician. The like-minded Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites followed in 2011.
''PLAYS MORE BLUES, BALLADS & FAVORITES''
JULY 26 2011
46:52
1 /I Ain't Never
Tillis/3:04
2 /No Use Knocking Feat. Lou Ann Barton
Gayten / Guidry/3:27
3 /Teardrop Blues
liggins/4:47
4 /I Hang My Head and Cry/3:41
5 /It's Been a Long Time/3:33
6 /Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Feat. Lou Ann Barton
Bourgeois/2:46
7 /What Makes You So Tough/3:38
8 /Greenbacks/2:11
9 /I'm in the Mood for You Feat. Lou Ann Barton/2:22
10 /I Ain't Gonna Do It No More
Guidry/3:50
11 /Cried Like a Baby/3:55
12 /Oh Oh Oh/4:00
13 /I'm a Love You/2:49
14 /The Rains Came/2:49
Lou Ann Barton /Vocals
Mike Flanigan /Hammond B3
Doug James /Sax (Baritone)
Ronnie James /Bass
Derek O'Brien /Guitar
Ephraim Owens /Trumpet
Greg Piccolo /Sax (Tenor)
Billy Pitman /Guitar (Rhythm)
George Rains /Drums
Jimmie Vaughan /Guitar, Vocals
Bill Willis /Hammond B3
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
"If at first you succeed, do it again," seems to be Austin blues/R&B guitarist Jimmie Vaughan's motto, as he returns to the well that provided a hit for him only a year before this second volume's release. Since it took nearly nine years between albums before this, it's obvious that both the acceptance of the last set, and its concept, were something that resonated with him enough to bring the same band back for another batch of covers of cool obscurities from the past. Recording in mono -- oddly not noted on the sleeve notes -- and live in the studio provides a batch of hot-wired, energized performances that do justice to songs that were likely originally recorded under similar circumstances five or six decades ago. Only the most obsessive of blues fans will recognize some of the artists such as Jivin' Gene, Teddy Humphries, and Annie Laurie who first recorded these minor gems, let alone the songs themselves. Vaughan digs deep to unearth seldom heard, let alone covered, tracks associated with better-known figures like Ray Charles, Jimmy Liggins, and Hank Williams, Sr. He also revives another Jimmy Reed cover, "I'm a Love You," something he has been obsessed with after recording two albums of the bluesman's material riding shotgun to Omar Kent Dykes. Once again, Lou Ann Barton jumps on board to add her distinctive Southern voice in duet settings and even gets her picture on the cover, even though she only contributes to three tracks, one less than last time. A two-man horn section of saxists Doug James and Greg Piccolo, both ex-Roomful of Blues, brings the jump blues titles into full swing. Vaughan keeps his typically clipped solos sharp and punchy, using his instrument to punctuate rather than drive the attack. It sounds as loose and animated as studio sessions can be, with seemingly no overdubs to rob the music of its natural spontaneity. Liner notes explaining how Vaughan came in contact with, and was influenced by, these relatively lost gems would have gone a long way to help newcomers appreciate his motivation. Regardless, this remains a terrific, crackling listen and a great party album that sounds as rollicking in 2011 as it would have 50 years earlier.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Vaughan was one of the leading Austin, Texas guitarists of the late '70s and '80s, responsible for opening the national market up for gritty roadhouse blues and R&B. Influenced by guitarists like Freddie King, B.B. King, and Albert King, Vaughan developed a tough, lean sound that became one of the most recognizable sounds of '70s and '80s blues and blues-rock. For most of his career, Vaughan co-led the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist Kim Wilson. It wasn't until 1994 that he launched a full-fledged solo career.
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jimmie Vaughan began playing guitar as a child. Initially, Vaughan was influenced by both blues and rock & roll. While he was in his teens, he played in a number of garage rock bands, none of which attained any success. At the age of 19, he left Dallas and moved to Austin. For his first few years in Austin, Vaughan played in a variety of blues bar bands. In 1972, he formed his own group, the Storm, which supported many touring blues musicians.
In 1974, Vaughan met a vocalist and harmonica player named Kim Wilson. Within a year, the pair had formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds along with bassist Keith Furguson and drummer Mike Buck. For four years, the T-Birds played local Texas clubs, gaining a strong fan base. By the end of the decade, the group had signed a major label contract with Chrysalis Records and seemed bound for national stardom. However, none of their albums became hits and they were dropped by Chrysalis at the end of 1982.
At the same time the T-Birds were left without a recording contract, Jimmie's younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan, came storming upon the national scene with his debut album, Texas Flood. For the next few years, Stevie Ray dominated not only the Texan blues scene, but the entire American scene, while Jimmie and the Thunderbirds were struggling to survive. the T-Birds finally received a new major-label contract in 1986 with Epic/Associated and their first album for the label, Tuff Enuff, was a surprise hit, selling over a million copies and spawning the Top Ten hit title track.
the Fabulous Thunderbirds spent the rest of the '80s trying to replicate the success of Tuff Enuff, often pursuing slicker, more commercially oriented directions. By 1989, Jimmie Vaughan was frustrated by the group's musical direction and he left the band. Before launching a solo career, he recorded a duet album with his brother, Stevie Ray, Family Style. Following the completion of the record, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a tragic helicopter crash in August of 1990. Family Style appeared just a few months later, in the fall of 1990.
After Stevie Ray's death, Jimmie took a couple of years off, in order to grieve and recoup. After a couple of years, he began playing the occasional concert. In 1994, he returned with his first solo album, Strange Pleasures, which received good reviews and sold respectably. Vaughan supported Strange Pleasures with a national tour. Out There followed in 1998. Released in 2010, Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites found Vaughan covering songs by Jimmy Reed, Little Richard, Roy Milton, Roscoe Gordon and others who inspired him when he was first starting out as a musician. The like-minded Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites followed in 2011.
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