Product Details

• Actors: Jimmie Vaughan, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton
• Directors: Gary Menotti
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony
• VHS Release Date: August 6, 1996
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304163029
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,850 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Already a legend among musicians, Stevie Ray Vaughan was bringing new relevance and popularity to the blues when his career was cut short in a fatal helicopter accident following a 1990 concert appearance. His music offered the drama and sheer firepower of rock, and his flamboyant live shows likewise proved well suited to arena-sized crowds, yet there was little argument that Vaughan's fealty to the blues remained at the core of his style. This 1996 concert tribute underscores that common denominator through muscular performances from contemporary blues masters who readily (and appropriately) confirm the Texas guitarist as a true peer--it's no small matter that bona fide influences Buddy Guy and B.B. King cite the honoree on an equal plane with Vaughan's most obvious rock forebear, Jimi Hendrix.

King and Guy are among the stars who interpret Vaughan's own songbook in live performances backed by either his old band, Double Trouble, or the larger Tilt-a-Whirl Band. Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Dr. John, and the late guitarslinger's big brother, Jimmie Vaughan (himself a major figure since his days with the Fabulous Thunderbirds) all pay gritty musical homage noteworthy for powerhouse guitar work. Whether clad in coveralls (Guy) or Armani (Clapton, of course), each reaches the same common ground in the soul-deep language of the blues; equally important, the choice of material points up Vaughan's sure sense of blues song form and a penchant for tough, frequently witty lyrics that fit snugly into blues traditions. The 80-minute concert also intersperses brief interviews with the principals, with the music building toward a satisfying climax in three high-octane jams featuring the headliners in lively exchanges. The DVD optimizes the full-frame visuals of the original videotaped special, and the 5.1 audio mix likewise fine-tunes the straightforward stereo mix with some added ambience. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Electrifying!!, February 20, 1999

By 

Sandeep Joshi "saba95" (Floral Park, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film, shot in Texas in June of 1995, features a whole host of talented musicians. The littany of names is enthralling. Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray and Eric Clapton, who was nominated for best male rock performance in 1997 at the Grammys for his performance. Each musician performs his own incredible piece and the film also includes each performer's reflections on Stevie and all culminating to an incredible blues guitar jam with each musician having a solo. Filled with beautiful slides, riffs and solos and heartfelt thoughts each artist pays tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan in his own way. A befitting tribute to a once in a life time bluesman.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interviews mar otherwise fabulous performances, January 13, 2000

By 

James Turney (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan (DVD)

Buy this but keep the remote close by after the first listen. Frankly, I'm getting very angry by the many DVDs that are almost ruined, as this one, by interruptions that are boring after one or two listens. To add insult to injury, the chapters begin with the interviews, not the music, so hitting the advance button when talk interrupts the flow doesn't work. You'll have to frequently and carefully fast forward to keep the energy flowing, it's infuriating! DVD also has the capability of alternative tracks so the option to hear the interesting talk when desired is there. I doubt anyone will desire to hear this great music interrupted by talk. If you listen to this music as it was performed, ie loud, then get ready to have your ears blasted when the talk begins. At least they could have made the talk volume consistent with the typically loud music playback volumes. I propose a test, if the talk is so damned compelling why not release audio CDs with talk between cuts. Does anyone seriously believe that would sell? Music on video has had this problem for so long, and it's so pervasive, that I believe this greatly accounts for the poor sales of music on video, which is why there aren't many releases and production runs are so short. Check out the auctions and notice that music videos almost always get the highest bids due to their scarcity. Meanwhile, you can find almost any mainstream 20 or 30 year old audio release, without interruptions for talk, still in every music shop. I like music on video and I demand releases that can stand up to many enjoyable repeat playings!

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stevie Played Stevie Better, June 13, 2002

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan (DVD)

"A Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan" shows some marvelous performances of Vaughan's work by some of the great bluesman and guitarists. Clapton, Cray, Guy, Raitt, King and even Vaughan's very talented brother crank through the better known Stevie Ray tunes with incredible musical mastery.

Interupting some great jams, unfortunately, is a bunch of interviews. They are interesting, but kill the flow of the concert. It seems like a PBS special.

I recommend "A Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan," but get one of Stevie Ray's concert CDs or DVDs instead if you are looking to hear top Vaughan blues.

Or, get a BB King or Buddy Guy CD. If you buy this one, fast forward through the interviews.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com