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In Guitar Center and Sam Ash guitar departments across the country, myriad axe-playing stereotypes kick tires and waste time. A rocker girlfriend looking bored as hell while her boyfriend finds new ways to blow his freshly printed paycheck is a familiar sight. There are also the metal guys chugging out riffs on pointy guitars next to old white guys trying their hardest to sound like dead black guys on vintage guitars.
These days, you're almost guaranteed to hear someone sounding out the hook to "Sweet Child O' Mine" through an amp turned up way too loud. While all of these things are potentially present, there is a stereotype that has become an absolute constant amongst the menagerie of the guitar shop zoo, and that is the Stevie Ray Vaughan super-fan.
Today we would be celebrating Stevie's 57th birthday, however a freak
helicopter accident following a performance in Wisconsin ended his life
in 1990 at the age of 36. Stevie was arguably the most influential white
blues guitarist since Eric Clapton, and thus he has a league of fans remembering him today.
SRV fans are in your town, they look like the average middle-class dude in
your high school English class, and they have an uncanny obsession with
SRV. John Mayer would be the most famous example of the SRV super-fan,
having the following to say about the man:
"Texas Flood" - Live and in charge!
"Lenny" - This was Stevie's tribute to his wife of the same name, and a big fan favorite.
"Love Struck Baby" into "Pride and Joy
" - This is a rare performance video showcasing some of Stevie's more epic stage moves.
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