The legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan tore through the 1980s like a tornado, single-handedly leading a scorching blues revival that led to gold albums and sold-out tours before his tragic and untimely death at age 35. He is revered to this day by blues purists and rock fans alike as one of the most inflential electric blues guitarists in history.

Vaughan fused the pure blues of Albert King, Otis Rush and Muddy Waters with the rock guitar of Jimi Hendrix to form a distinctive, snarling style of his own that left listeners breathless at a time when blues wasn’t exactly tearing up the charts.

Born and raised in Dallas, Vaughan began playing guitar as a child, inspired by older brother Jimmie. By age 17 he had dropped out of school to concentrate on music, playing in a variety of groups that eventually led to the late-’70s formation of Double Trouble, so named for an Otis Rush song. By that time, Vaughan had also become lead singer, and Double Trouble soon ruled the fertile Austin, Texas, music scene. A 1982 performance at the Montreux Festival caught the attention of Brit rock legend David Bowie, who enlisted Vaughan for his blockbuster release later that year, Let’s Dance. Now signed to Epic, Vaughan and Double Trouble released their own album in summer 1983, Texas Flood.

The album was an immense success. Texas Flood put electric blues back in the spotlight and high on the charts for the first time since the late ’60s. A follow-up was quickly recorded; 1984’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather charted even higher and attained more success than Texas Flood, going gold by the end of 1985. Third album Soul to Soul appeared in summer ’85, and the double-live Live Alive was released in fall 1986 before a massive 1987 U.S. tour. Alcohol and drug use took their toll on Vaughan’s health, and he entered a relatively quiet year of rehab after the tour. In 1989, though, he and Double Trouble were back and busier than ever with In Step, which reached number 33 on the charts, won a Grammy® for best contemporary blues recording and went gold a mere six months after its release.

On Aug. 26, 1990, Vaughan and Double Trouble concluded a concert in East Troy, Wis., with an encore that featured guest guitarists Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and brother Jimmie. Vaughan then boarded a helicopter bound for Chicago that crashed minutes after takeoff, killing him and four other passengers.

A duet album with brother Jimmie, Family Style, was recorded shortly before Vaughan’s death. It was released that October and entered the charts at number seven. Subsequent posthumous releases proved just as popular as those released while Vaughan was alive, and included The Sky Is Crying (1991), In the Beginning (1992), Greatest Hits (1995), The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1999) and box set SRV (2000). Fender introduced its popular and distinctive Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster® guitar in 2002.