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cindysal's review against another edition
4.0
As a huge fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, I really enjoyed this book. It follows Stevie’s career from its beginning to its tragic end. Rather than a narrative, snippets of interviews of band mates, friends, fellow musicians, as well as Jimmy Vaughan and Stevie himself are woven together to tell the story of his life and the impact he had on music. It makes for a more intimate biography. If you listen to the audiobook, as I did, you will be treated to a little bit of actual interviews with Stevie and the author.
kirkreads's review against another edition
5.0
Stevie Ray Vaughan and his music have been a profound influence on my life. I will forever remember where I was when I heard of his passing. This book brought him back to life for me through the eyes of those who knew him best. Do not expect a standard biography from this book, however. There are framing texts, but the majority of the book is the story being told in quotes from the people who hen knew or worked with. This book gives clear insight to Stevie, his music, and why he mattered. The writers know their subject well and understand that, while he is viewed by many as a guitar god and idol, he was a very real and down to earth human being. This is the story of a good man who went down a dark path and eventually found himself again. It is a tale of inspiration and redemption. I highly recommend the book for those who are fans of the man and his music, but I also recommend it to those who see music as spiritual.
vinomanscott930's review against another edition
3.0
First off, I'm a HUGE Stevie Ray Vaughan fan. Loved his music and style (and, OH GOD...that tone) for as long as I can remember. Is, was and always will be my favorite guitarist.
With that being said, going into this book with a decent amount of knowledge on SRV through the years, I was happy to see several things. The closeness of friends and outsiders to Stevie and the people who really helped him turn his life around, and their stories, were very touching. Also, hearing first hand accounts from Shannon, Layton, and Bramhall(s) provided a new view of what life and the road felt like. Overall, the interviews and quotes were done rather nicely, however, in multiple areas of the book, you would have one quote from one person and go right into the same quote from another. Personally, I think that became a little redundant.
Major downside the book, and the reason I only gave it 3 stars...lack of the author's narrative. Other than a few spots in the book (usually at the beginning of a new chapter), the author fails to really provide any story line. Almost all of this is done through the quotes, leaving the book to feel like an extended Guitar Magazine tribute. As much as I enjoyed most of the interviews, more backstory with the author putting his own personal touch to the book would have been nice.
My favorite part of the book, however, does stem from one particular interview...that being with Jimmy Vaughan, Stevie's brother. The loss of his brother, at a pinnacle time in their careers where they were really wanting to do more together, it was beautiful to hear the words of pride and loving from Jimmy...you can truly feel the heartbreak and loss in his quotes.
Overall, the book was informative and decently put together, however, I would have still liked to see a more personal approach from the author. Long live SRV!!!
With that being said, going into this book with a decent amount of knowledge on SRV through the years, I was happy to see several things. The closeness of friends and outsiders to Stevie and the people who really helped him turn his life around, and their stories, were very touching. Also, hearing first hand accounts from Shannon, Layton, and Bramhall(s) provided a new view of what life and the road felt like. Overall, the interviews and quotes were done rather nicely, however, in multiple areas of the book, you would have one quote from one person and go right into the same quote from another. Personally, I think that became a little redundant.
Major downside the book, and the reason I only gave it 3 stars...lack of the author's narrative. Other than a few spots in the book (usually at the beginning of a new chapter), the author fails to really provide any story line. Almost all of this is done through the quotes, leaving the book to feel like an extended Guitar Magazine tribute. As much as I enjoyed most of the interviews, more backstory with the author putting his own personal touch to the book would have been nice.
My favorite part of the book, however, does stem from one particular interview...that being with Jimmy Vaughan, Stevie's brother. The loss of his brother, at a pinnacle time in their careers where they were really wanting to do more together, it was beautiful to hear the words of pride and loving from Jimmy...you can truly feel the heartbreak and loss in his quotes.
Overall, the book was informative and decently put together, however, I would have still liked to see a more personal approach from the author. Long live SRV!!!
bookish_dad's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
This book really hit me. I loved the writing style multiple people throughout his life talking about everything. I could hear all the songs playing I'm my head with each chapter and I knew it was going to be tough at the end. When they were building up to his accident I was getting tensed and anxious.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
5.0
Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughn by Alan Paul is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.
This book made me feel like I’d been invited to a memorial service for Stevie, with everyone who knew and loved him, either personally or professionally gathered around sharing intimate memories of Stevie’s life from their own unique perspective.
I remember when Stevie died, perhaps more vividly than I might have because of a death in my own family just days before. Despite my personal grief, I was still in utter shock and disbelief. Yet, it would be years down the road before I was able to truly absorb the magnitude of his loss and the incredible void he left in the world of music.
This book is not written in the traditional biographical format. The presentation is unique, a compilation of interviews, reflections, and recollections.
I loved it!! Memories are so subjective. Sometimes people remembered events differently or had differences of opinion.
That gave the book a realistic quality and made me feel as though nothing was being glossed over or sugarcoated or left out, because at the end of the day we all experience events in different ways. Anything too pat, might be circumspect. This material came straight from the mouths of the participants. Their words were pure, unedited with no way to put a spin on it.
I think it is the unique layout of the book that gives it such a personal and emotional atmosphere. I admired the way the author assembled the information, letting those who were there, tell the story chronologically. Using this unconventional approach took some extreme organizational skills, and the author pulled it off quite nicely.
Over the years, the little details of Stevie’s life have slipped from my consciousness. This book brought back a few memories for me, not just musically, but geographically, since Stevie was a home- grown talent. There are so many talented blues artists, so many guitar heroes out there, but no one could touch Stevie Ray Vaughn. The guy was electrifying. It wasn’t just his skill- There was an aura around him, a presence, that spilled over his live performances casting a spell over his awed audience.
I miss Stevie a lot. I often wonder just how far he would have traveled musically and personally, as well. His life was clicking into place, coming together on all fronts. He was blazing hot with nowhere else to go but up. His death was a tragedy of epic proportions, only made worse by the knowledge that it was preventable. Hearing the various artists reflect on that fateful decision reiterates the senselessness of it, only compounding the loss even more.
In some ways, though, this book was cathartic for me. I never really got to grieve this loss has I have other artists who left an indelible mark on me. I enjoyed hearing these heartfelt, humorous, honest, harrowing, poignant, and inspirational stories about Stevie, learning a few details about his career I didn’t know, or had forgotten about over time. But mostly this book was a reminder of what a great talent Stevie was and how grateful I am for the influence he had on me and my great love affair with pure blues.
The sky is still crying….
This book made me feel like I’d been invited to a memorial service for Stevie, with everyone who knew and loved him, either personally or professionally gathered around sharing intimate memories of Stevie’s life from their own unique perspective.
I remember when Stevie died, perhaps more vividly than I might have because of a death in my own family just days before. Despite my personal grief, I was still in utter shock and disbelief. Yet, it would be years down the road before I was able to truly absorb the magnitude of his loss and the incredible void he left in the world of music.
This book is not written in the traditional biographical format. The presentation is unique, a compilation of interviews, reflections, and recollections.
I loved it!! Memories are so subjective. Sometimes people remembered events differently or had differences of opinion.
That gave the book a realistic quality and made me feel as though nothing was being glossed over or sugarcoated or left out, because at the end of the day we all experience events in different ways. Anything too pat, might be circumspect. This material came straight from the mouths of the participants. Their words were pure, unedited with no way to put a spin on it.
I think it is the unique layout of the book that gives it such a personal and emotional atmosphere. I admired the way the author assembled the information, letting those who were there, tell the story chronologically. Using this unconventional approach took some extreme organizational skills, and the author pulled it off quite nicely.
Over the years, the little details of Stevie’s life have slipped from my consciousness. This book brought back a few memories for me, not just musically, but geographically, since Stevie was a home- grown talent. There are so many talented blues artists, so many guitar heroes out there, but no one could touch Stevie Ray Vaughn. The guy was electrifying. It wasn’t just his skill- There was an aura around him, a presence, that spilled over his live performances casting a spell over his awed audience.
I miss Stevie a lot. I often wonder just how far he would have traveled musically and personally, as well. His life was clicking into place, coming together on all fronts. He was blazing hot with nowhere else to go but up. His death was a tragedy of epic proportions, only made worse by the knowledge that it was preventable. Hearing the various artists reflect on that fateful decision reiterates the senselessness of it, only compounding the loss even more.
In some ways, though, this book was cathartic for me. I never really got to grieve this loss has I have other artists who left an indelible mark on me. I enjoyed hearing these heartfelt, humorous, honest, harrowing, poignant, and inspirational stories about Stevie, learning a few details about his career I didn’t know, or had forgotten about over time. But mostly this book was a reminder of what a great talent Stevie was and how grateful I am for the influence he had on me and my great love affair with pure blues.
The sky is still crying….
td3's review against another edition
4.0
My husband has been a big fan of Stevie Ray Vaughn since back in the early days of his career, so when I noticed this book was due out the same week as his birthday, I decided to ask for the advance read and see if it would make a great birthday gift.
I will definitely be buying it when it hits the stores. One advantage of having the book instead of the ebook is the pictures. I always think the pictures look better in a print book and there are quite a few pictures throughout the book.
I really didn’t know too much about Stevie, other than some of his top hits, so I found the story of his early life so interesting. He had such a wonderful relationship with his older brother Jimmie and it was nice that they both shared the same talent for music.
There were many names mentioned throughout the book and it was a bit difficult to keep track of who everyone was, even with the index. The story is mostly told through interviews of people involved in Stevie’s life in some way—from band members to family and friends.
Midway through the book, as Stevie became more famous, he slipped into heavy drug and alcohol abuse. I found this portion of the book really sad, especially because his band members were living the same dangerous lifestyle.
Evidently Stevie had a purpose in life other than just being a famous guitar player. Stevie got clean by doing the 12 step program and became very dedicated to staying sober. He poured everything into his life of sobriety in the same way he poured everything into his guitar playing.
Because of his dedication, he was a role model to others in the music business. He encouraged many friends on the path to getting sober and during the time he had left on earth, he lived his life to the fullest.
It’s so fitting that his last album was the one he recorded with his brother Jimmie. That album was very special to both of them and they had plans to do more work together in the future, which unfortunately was not to be.
I read the last few chapters of the book while listening to Stevie’s music, which reinforced all the comments from musicians as to how talented a guitar player Stevie Ray Vaughn had become. Be sure to have some tissues handy near the end of the book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review an advance copy and give an honest review.
I will definitely be buying it when it hits the stores. One advantage of having the book instead of the ebook is the pictures. I always think the pictures look better in a print book and there are quite a few pictures throughout the book.
I really didn’t know too much about Stevie, other than some of his top hits, so I found the story of his early life so interesting. He had such a wonderful relationship with his older brother Jimmie and it was nice that they both shared the same talent for music.
There were many names mentioned throughout the book and it was a bit difficult to keep track of who everyone was, even with the index. The story is mostly told through interviews of people involved in Stevie’s life in some way—from band members to family and friends.
Midway through the book, as Stevie became more famous, he slipped into heavy drug and alcohol abuse. I found this portion of the book really sad, especially because his band members were living the same dangerous lifestyle.
Evidently Stevie had a purpose in life other than just being a famous guitar player. Stevie got clean by doing the 12 step program and became very dedicated to staying sober. He poured everything into his life of sobriety in the same way he poured everything into his guitar playing.
Because of his dedication, he was a role model to others in the music business. He encouraged many friends on the path to getting sober and during the time he had left on earth, he lived his life to the fullest.
It’s so fitting that his last album was the one he recorded with his brother Jimmie. That album was very special to both of them and they had plans to do more work together in the future, which unfortunately was not to be.
I read the last few chapters of the book while listening to Stevie’s music, which reinforced all the comments from musicians as to how talented a guitar player Stevie Ray Vaughn had become. Be sure to have some tissues handy near the end of the book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review an advance copy and give an honest review.