The King's Head

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This fabulous radio broadcast comes from The King's Head Inn, a tiny venue popular with students near the Old Dominion University campus, in Norfolk, Virginia, that could accommodate barely 100 people. Luckily, local radio station WNOR was on hand to preserve this storming performance made on July 20th 1980 by soon-to-become-legendary Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was following a groundbreaking appearance at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival that Steve Ray first came to the attention of such major rock stars as David Bowie (with whom he recorded the 'Let's Dance' album), The Rolling Stones and Jackson Browne. He went on to spearhead the 1980's Blues revival and recorded an accled series of albums for Epic Records, beginning with 'Texas Flood' in 1983. At the time of this performance, however, Stevie had yet to release any records under his own name. In the later 1970's he appeared on three 7" singles (Other Days, My Song and Blow, Joe, Blow) with popular Austin band, Paul Ray and the Cobras. During occasional absences by Paul, it would be Stevie who stepped up to deputise on vocals and guitar. Soon Stevie decided to quit - Paul took it philosophically, and told him: "you're a front man now. You don't need to be in somebody else's band". Although Stevie Ray Vaughan would become a prolific song writer, this evening's set includes just two of his own compositions, I'm Cryin' and Love Struck Baby. Both of these songs would subsequently appear on his first album, 'Texas Flood' which was released in 1983; the latter song was also issued as a single that same year. The other songs in the set are drawn from the catalogues of Stevie's blues heroes. Opening proceedings is a fine version of Freddie King's perennial Hideaway. Completing a stonking set are Robert Geddins' Tin Pan Alley and, of course, Larry Davis and Joseph Wade Scott's 1958 Blues classic, which also provided the title of his debut, Texas Flood.