Couldn't Stand the Weather
Aug 27, 2010; 6:03 AM ET
At the statue of the late blues/rock musician Stevie Ray Vaughan stands along the shore of Town Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Twenty years ago today, blues lost one of its most cherished performers. Stevie Ray Vaughan, who would have turned 56 this October, had just finished a show near East Troy, Wis. on this date in 1990 in which he played with fellow legend Eric Clapton. The tour would end here.
"Sweet Home Chicago" was the final song in the evening's set, and Chicago was Vaughan's destination that night. He would never make it to his hotel room.
Vaughan had originally planned to travel by car, and instead elected to take an available seat on one of the helicopters, saying to his brother Jimmie and sister-in-law Connie, "Do you mind if I take the seat? I really need to get back."
The helicopter took off just before 1:00 a.m., and failed to gain enough altitude to clear a nearby man-made ski slope, crashing into the slope at "high velocity" according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
A complicating factor in the accident was fog and low clouds which blanketed the area and may have obscured the hill. It is speculated that the pilot may have been unfamiliar with the takeoff rules at that particular site, and that fog would have made it difficult to use any visual cues to aid in clearing the hill.
Four others died in the helicopter crash that night as well: pilot Jeff Brown, Clapton's agent Bobby Brooks, Clapton's body guard Nigel Browne and Clapton's assistant tour manager Colin Smythe.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a rapidly rising star, and tragedy struck as he was on the cusp of reaching the pinnacle of his career. Regardless, Vaughan is lauded as one of the greatest blues and rock artists of all time with his song, "Couldn't Stand the Weather," considered by many to be his greatest hit.
By Randy Adkins, Meteorologist
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