Rise of a Texas Bluesman: Stevie Ray Vaughan 1954-1983

Directed by Tom O'Dell

In the early 1970s a young guitarist from Austin, Texas began to make his name on the local blues circuit, committed to a musical form many thought outdated. A decade on, that same guitarist became an international superstar. A player of passion, energy and awe-inspiring technical virtuosity, Stevie Ray Vaughan not only brought the blues heritage of his home state to a global audience, he reinvigorated the genre itself, introducing it to a new generation of listeners in the process. This film reveals and dissects the formative years of Stevie Ray Vaughan's career; his influences, his first recordings and the bands with whom he honed his craft and traces the history of Texas blues itself, identifying Vaughan's place within this larger tradition. It is the journey of both a musical form and the single-minded musician who brought it firmly back into the spotlight after decades of neglect.