Stevie Ray Vaughan became a one-man blues revival in 1983 when he contributed biting leads on David Bowie’s album Let’s Dance.
In the same year, Vaughan’s debut record, Texas Flood, recorded with his band Double Trouble, showcased his forceful style of mixing simultaneous rhythm and lead parts, along with his powerful vocals
Vaughan drew from the likes of Albert King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and most of all, Jimi Hendrix. He owned several Strats, all given nicknames (such as Lenny, named after his then-wife Lenora), but his workhorse guitar was Number One, a mongrel Strat made from a ‘63 sunburst body and a ‘62 rosewood neck.
Vaughan tinkered with Number One, outfitting it with a left-handed tremolo (to emulate Hendrix), and decorating it with stickers to spell ‘SRV.’
Originally rumoured to be buried with Vaughan, Number One is locked in a vault owned by his brother, Jimmy.
Check out Fender Stratocaster stars: part 2, starring David Gilmour, The Edge, Ritchie Blackmore and more here!