Remembering Stevie Ray Vaughan: Recording With A Cast Of Thousands As A Teen

A helicopter crash 28 years ago today took the life of legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan at the all-too-young age of 35. The Texas-born, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee was a powerhouse with six strings, playing with a flair and intensity few have matched but many have tried to emulate.

Vaughan’s talent for playing guitar was apparent from an early age, soon after his older brother Jimmie Vaughan first laid out the basics of the instrument. Stevie Ray would go on to develop one of the most charismatic and emotive playing styles that was equal parts rapid-fire ripping and passionately restrained.

In late-1970 “Steve Vaughan” participated in his first-ever recording session, playing electric guitar with the Dallas-based group A Cast Of Thousands. The band, which also featured future Hollywood actor Stephen Tobolowsky, recorded two songs that appeared on a 1971 compilation of Dallas high school bands issued by the local record label A New Hi.

The earliest known studio recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan — performing on the tracks “Red, White And Blue” and “I Heard A Voice Last Night” — can be streamed below:

[I Heard A Voice Last Night]

[Red, White And Blue]

Here’s Tobolowsky recalling the September 1970 A Cast Of Thousands recording session with “this kid Stevie Vaughan” from back in 2011: