JIMMIE VAUGHAN ENDS THE CENTURY WITH A ROCKING
GOOD YEAR
For the last year, other folks may have partied like it was 1999,
but Jimmie Vaughan was busy "out there" performing with
the Tilt-A-Whirl Band, enjoying honors, showing his latest classic
car, and solidifying his status as one of the premier artists in
contemporary blues and rock'n'roll. |
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Friend Eric Clapton
The "Ironic Twist" - A prize winning Caddy
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| Jimmie ended 1998, the year he released Out There,
his second solo album, with an extensive tour of Europe in November
and December, opening for his friend Eric Clapton. In early January,
he returned to the stage at Austin's Antone's nightclub for a triumphant
hometown return where he was joined onstage by Billy Gibbons of
ZZ Top (in a very rare public performance outside of his own band)
and former Fabulous Thunderbirds bandmate Kim Wilson. For the rest
of January, Jimmie stayed busy with his latest vintage auto acquisition
- a 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - prepping it for and then showing
the Caddy at the Sacramento Autorama and the 50th Annual Grand National
Roadster shows, where it took First and Second Place honors, respectively. |
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| February found Jimmie in the studio with his late-brother
Stevie's compadres, bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton.
He tracked the song "In The Middle Of The Night" with
them for a Double Trouble & Friends album that will be released
later this year. As well, Jimmie savored his Grammy nomination for
Best Rock Instrumental Performance (for "Ironic Twist")
with a trip to the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, where
he enjoyed the festivities in the company of such friends as Clapton,
fellow Austinite Marcia Ball and the Texas Tornados. He also played
a private performance in San Antonio for the Special Equipment Manufacturing
Association (SEMA) at the behest of his friend Jack Chisinhall of
Vintage Air (who make custom air conditioners for classic cars),
treating fellow auto buffs to a hot set. He capped the shortest
month of the year with a two nights packing the house at Antone's. |
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In March, Jimmie was invited by the Austin Film
Society to regale the movie crowd in Austin for the South By Southwest
(SXSW) Film Festival with another show at Antone's, this one a
private premiere party for the film Ed TV. Luminaries like Ed
TV director Ron Howard and stars Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson,
Elizabeth Hurley, Ellen DeGeneres and Martin Landau along with
Lauren Holley and Anne Heche were spotted grooving to the sounds
of JV and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band. A few days later, Jimmie and
the band also played a SXSW Music Festival show at the Austin
Music Hall, followed by gigs in Houston, at the House of Blues
in Orlando, FL, and headlining the Tampa Blues Festival. The third
month of 1999 also saw the launching of Jimmie's website, www.jimmievaughan.com.
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| April found Jimmie and the Tilt-A-Whirl gang illuminating
the British on the subject of American music during a show at Antone's
that was taped by the BBC for a documentary tracing the development
and influence of American styles on the world of music. Who was
chosen to represent Texas? Just Buddy Holly and JV, who was also
interviewed for the program. That month he also rocked the rafters
with a show at the House of Blues in New Orleans. As the weather
warmed up in May, Jimmie and band played a Harley Davidson rally
hosted by Houston's KLOL/101.1 FM that raised money for the Humane
Society. He then spent time recording with Jerry McKane for the
singer's upcoming album, followed by a gig in Grapevine Texas, and
a headline appearance at the first annual Antone's Blues Festival
in Austin's Waterloo Park with Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Susan
Tedeschi and a number of Austin blues stars. Jimmie ended May by
taking a trip with his Caddy at a car show in Paso Robles, CA, and
headlining the Santa Cruz (CA) Blues Festival. |
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| Summer found JV being inducted in early June into
the Rock Walk of Fame in front of the Guitar Center in Los Angeles
alongside Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Larry Carlton. The next day,
he hit the road for a month-long tour that included five shows opening
for his old friend Bonnie Raitt. Along the way, Jimmie and the band
also appeared - at the special request of Eric Clapton - at a private
preview party hosted by Giorgio Armani for a charity auction of
100 guitars from Clapton's collection. Eric played with Jimmie and
the Tilt-A-Whirls for an hour during the bash at L.A.'s Quixote
Studios, which was attended by such luminaries as Robert DeNiro,
Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver, Rob Reiner, Glenn Close,
Vince Vaughan, Kelly Lynch, Andy Garcia, Lauren Holley and others. |
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Eric Clapton & Jimmie Vaughan jammin'
at the charity guitar auction.
Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger &
party host Giorgio Armani
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| During July, Jimmie finished up his tour with some
East Coast dates with Buddy Guy, including two nights at the Montreal
Blues Festival, and another night co-headlining Milwaukee's annual
SummerFest with Guy. Following a trip home to Austin to launch the
23rd Anniversary party at Antone's, JV and band capped the month
with a week of shows in Belgium. In August, Jimmie witnessed the
solar eclipse while visiting France, and then headlined two nights
at the Nottoden Blues Festival in Norway. On Labor Day weekend,
Jimmie sat in as a special guest with John Lee Hooker at the Long
Beach (CA) Blues Festival. Later in September, he played at the
Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA, headlined the San Francisco Blues
Festival, and appeared in Houston with B.B. King. |
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October was a well-deserved month off for Jimmie.
In November, he rejoined his pals Clapton and Raitt for a very
special event in Los Angeles: the presentation at the Musicians
Assistance Program (MAP) Awards of the first annual Stevie Ray
Vaughan Award. Honoring those who have made notable contributions
to the substance abuse recovery program, it was bestowed on Clapton
by Raitt. During the night, JV joined Dr. John and Double Trouble
for a historic rendition of "Texas Flood," and later
jammed with Clapton, Raitt, Dr. John and Stevie Ray's former rhythm
section to cap the night with a bang.
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Stevie and Jimmie
The big jam
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| Jimmie then headed on to Las Vegas for the annual
SEMA Convention, where Jimmie's Caddy was on display on the stage
of the main ballroom of the Las Vegas Hilton (formerly the Intercontinental),
the very place where Elvis Presley appeared during his Vegas years.
JV and the band also rocked the room where the King held court for
the private party before 1000 guests, hosted by Pete Chapouris of
the Southern California Speed Shop and Jeff King of the Holley Corporation. |
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| December was a month of giving for Jimmie, who played
two major Austin benefit shows. JV and Lou Ann Barton shared the
stage to highlight the show-ending blues jam at Antone's during
the Texas Music For Tary fundraiser, where such folks as Lucinda
Williams, Joe Ely, Marcia Ball, Toni Price and many others performed
to help out veteran Austin blues producer and musician Tary Owens.
Two weeks later, Jimmie joined up with Willie Nelson and Eric Johnson
for the first-ever Willie Nelson Blues Band appearance at La Zona
Rosa, which raised funds for Austin's SIMS Foundation, which provides
low-cost mental health services for musicians. Also keep your ears
peeled in 2000 for Jimmie's lead on Willie's version of "Kansas
City" on Nelson's upcoming blues album, as well as so much
more from Jimmie Vaughan in the 21st Century. |
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