Pride and Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan song)

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"Pride and Joy"
Pride and Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan song).png
Single by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
from the album Texas Flood
B-side "Rude Mood"
ReleasedJune 13, 1983 (1983-06-13) (album)
RecordedNovember 24, 1982
Studio Down Town, Los Angeles
Genre
Length3:41
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Stevie Ray Vaughan
Producer(s) Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen, and Double Trouble
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble singles chronology
"Pride and Joy"
(1983)
"Couldn't Stand the Weather"
(1984)
Audio
"Pride and Joy on YouTube

"Pride and Joy" is a song by American singer, guitarist and songwriter Stevie Ray Vaughan and his backing band Double Trouble, released in late 1983 by Epic Records. It is an original composition by Vaughan and was released on his debut studio album Texas Flood (1983). "Pride and Joy" was released as Vaughan's debut single and has become one of his most popular songs.

Contents

Lyrics

"Pride and Joy" was a feature of Vaughan's live repertoire before he recorded it. According to Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, Vaughan wrote it for a new girlfriend at the time; somewhat ironically, a later fight with her inspired "I'm Crying'". [1]

Composition

Called "a classic Texas shuffle", [2] it has a twelve-bar blues arrangement, notated in the key of E [2] (although with Vaughan's guitar tuned one-half step lower, [3] resulting in the pitch of E) in 4
4
time with a moderately fast tempo. The main guitar figure features a bassline along with muted chord chops to produce a percussive-like effect. [2] Vaughan also "extracts extra sound from the guitar by choosing finger shapes that allow the maximum number of strings to ring at a time (often the top E-string [E])". [2]

Chart performance

The song was released as a single and reached #20 on Mainstream Rock. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Ray Vaughan</span> American blues guitarist (1954–1990)

Stephen Ray Vaughan was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians in the history of blues music, and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He was the younger brother of guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.

<i>Texas Flood</i> 1983 studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Texas Flood is the debut studio album by the American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released on June 13, 1983, by Epic Records. The album was named after a cover song featured on the album, "Texas Flood", which was first recorded by blues singer Larry Davis in 1958. Produced by the band and recording engineer Richard Mullen, Texas Flood was recorded in the space of three days at Jackson Browne's personal recording studio in Los Angeles. Vaughan wrote six of the album's ten tracks.

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Double Trouble is an American blues rock band from Austin, Texas, which served as the backing band for singer-guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The group was active throughout the 1980s and contributed to reviving blues music, inspiring many later blues and rock acts. Formed in Austin, Texas in 1978, the group went through several early line-up changes before settling on a power trio consisting of Vaughan, Chris Layton (drums), Tommy Shannon (bass). They became a four-piece by 1985 after adding Reese Wynans (keyboards). Whilst with Vaughan they were billed Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Rooted in blues and rock music, the group worked in various genres ranging from ballads to soul, often incorporating jazz and other musical elements.

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"Love Struck Baby" is a blues rock song performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Vaughan wrote the song about the night that he moved in with his then-wife, Lenny. The track was produced by Vaughan for the band's debut album Texas Flood, recorded in Los Angeles. "Love Struck Baby" was the first single from Texas Flood, released by Epic Records in the United States and United Kingdom. In the song's accompanying music video, bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton are shown relaxing at a bar before Vaughan enters and starts performing the song for a crowd. "Love Struck Baby" was a concert favorite for fans of the band; Vaughan would frequently play the guitar behind his head for part of the solo.

<i>The Sky Is Crying</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

The Sky Is Crying is the fifth and final studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, compiling songs recorded throughout most of their career. Released 14 months after Vaughan's death in 1990, the album features ten previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1984 and 1989. Only one title, "Empty Arms", appeared on any of the group's previous albums. The tracks were compiled by Vaughan's brother, Jimmie Vaughan, and was Vaughan's highest charting album at number 10.

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Live at Carnegie Hall is the third live album by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released by Epic Records in July 1997. The album consists of live selections from their sold-out October 4, 1984, benefit concert at Carnegie Hall for the T.J. Martell Foundation. Backed by a ten-piece big band for the second half of the event, Vaughan had celebrated his thirtieth birthday the night before, and called the concert his "best birthday ever, forever". The band's double-set performance, which included several blues and R&B standards, was highly successful, receiving mostly positive reviews from music critics.

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The Soul to Soul Tour was a concert tour through North America, Europe and Australasia, undertaken by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble from 1985 through 1986. At the beginning of the tour, the band had finished recording their album Soul to Soul. Their commercial and critical acclaim had been demonstrated during the Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour in 1984, when they had played before a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. Longing for opportunities to expand the group's lineup, Vaughan and Double Trouble hired keyboardist Reese Wynans during the Soul to Soul recording sessions in Dallas, Texas. Throughout the tour, the band's success was confirmed as their performances consistently amazed and gratified their audiences.

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References

  1. Kitts, Jeff; Tolinski, Brad (2002). Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time!. Hal Leonard. p. 147. ISBN   978-0-634-04619-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. Backbeat Books. p. 127. ISBN   978-0-87930-747-9.
  3. Marshall, Wolf (2008). Stuff! Good Guitar Players Should Know: An A-Z Guide to Getting Better. Hal Leonard. p. 129. ISBN   978-1423430087.
  4. "Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Chart History – Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard.com . Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.