Curated by the GRAMMY Museum®, Pride & Joy: The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan offers an in-depth look at his iconic career. When it debuted at the GRAMMY Museum in June 2014, this exhibit was the first to exclusively highlight the career of the legendary bluesman. Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie’s brother, serves as a guest curator.
Among the displays:
- Several guitars, including Vaughan’s “Number One” Fender Stratocaster
- Original amplifier and guitar pedals
- Original stage outfits, including Vaughan’s famous Indian headdress
- Handwritten lyrics
- Original concert posters/tour ephemera
With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the 1980s. He drew equally from bluesmen such as Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Albert Collins; rock-and-roll players such as Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack; and jazz guitarists such as Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery. Vaughan developed a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre. From 1983 to 1990, he was the leading light in American blues, consistently selling out concerts while his albums regularly went gold. His tragic death in 1990 at age 35 cut short a brilliant career in blues and American rock-and-roll, just as he was on the brink of superstardom.
