My Favorite Guitarist (By Guitar Teacher Chris Saponara)

August 27, 2010 marked the 20th anniversary of the death of guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughn.  He was only 35 years old, and was killed in a tragic helicopter crash only minutes after playing a concert with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and other blues and rock guitarists.

If you are unfamiliar with the music of Stevie Ray Vaughn, you owe it to yourself to listen to some of it.  No other guitarist (except for perhaps Jimi Hendrix) was responsible for bringing so many aspiring guitarists from the rock genre into the blues genre.  

Please listen to this amazing blues artist check out Stevie Ray Vaughn’s repertoire.  I recommend “Empty Arms,” a version of which I found on YouTube (below).  Other great examples of his music include “Texas Flood,” “Rude Mood”, “Voodoo Chile” and “The Things That I Used to Do.”  I think you will be pleasantly surprised and inspired, as I still am.

Chris Saponara has been teaching guitar at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts since 2007.