I can stop thinking about Stevie Ray Vaughan and the rendition of Texas Flood recorded in early 1983 and released on June 13, 1983. Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas, while the original writer of that song Larry Davis was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Now the disaster of what's happening nowadays in Texas, bugles my mind and I always have to think about this song whenever I see the actual pictures, although the song it's written about a relationship problem that Davis had back then. The lyrics goes like:
"..Well I'm leavin' you baby, Lord I'm goin' back home to stay, well where there's no floods or tornadoes, baby the sun shines every day.." It has that common and predicting tone at the same time, since hurricanes in Texas has been happening for more then 500 years, at least what's been recorded so far.
Excerpts from Wikipedia:
Larry Davis Bio
Larry Davis (December 4, 1936 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas – April 19, 1994) was an American electric Texas blues and soul blues musician. He is best known for co-writing the song "Texas Flood", later recorded to greater commercial success by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
"Texas Flood" (sometimes called "Stormin' in Texas" or "Flood Down in Texas") is a blues song recorded by Larry Davis in 1958. It is considered a blues standard and has been recorded by several artists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, who made it part of his repertoire.
"Texas Flood" is a slow-tempo twelve-bar blues notated in 12/8 time in the key of A flat. It was written by Davis in California in 1955 and is credited to Davis and Duke Records arranger/trumpeter Joseph Scott. Nominally about a flood in Texas, Davis used it as a metaphor for his relationship problems:
Well I'm leavin' you baby, Lord I'm goin' back home to stay,
well where there's no floods or tornadoes, baby the sun shines every day.
Stevie Ray Vaughan version
According to Clifford Antone, Stevie Ray Vaughan was introduced to "Texas Flood" by Angela Strehli at Antone's Austin, Texas club, where the three of them worked out the song. Vaughan drummer Chris Layton recalled that Albert King brought Larry Davis to the club several times, where Vaughan was attracted to the "intriguing guitar parts"
Stevie Ray Vaughan Bio
Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 Dallas, Texas – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. In spite of a short-lived mainstream career spanning seven years, he was one of the most influential guitarists in the revival of blues in the 1980s. All Music describes him as "a rocking powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the '80s, with influence still felt long after his tragic death."
Vaughan received several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1983, readers of Guitar Player voted him Best New Talent and Best Electric Blues Guitar Player. In 1984, the Blues Foundation named him Entertainer of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist of the Year, and in 1987, Performance Magazine honored him with Rhythm and Blues Act of the Year. Earning six Grammy Awards and ten Austin Music Awards, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2014. Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Other renditions
Numerous blues and other artists have recorded "Texas Flood", including original guitarist Fenton Robinson on his album Somebody Loan Me a Dime (1974), Buddy Guy from Breaking Out (1980, released 1988), and Willie Nelson from Milk Cow Blues (2000). Albert King reworked the song as "Floodin' in California" for his album San Francisco '83, which was re-released as Crosscut Saw: Albert King in San Francisco (both 1983).
Now here is that legendary song that makes me listen to it with a whole new perception, due to the current situation in Texas. May all the people in Texas stay strong and be save through this disaster. Condolences goes out to the lost lives of love ones and prayers goes to the 30.000 (if not more, meanwhile) homeless people.
