Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble, Texas Flood

While it was recorded in sessions lasting barely three days, blues-rock guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut album arrived in 1983 with some 15 years of legend-making back story already in place. Having cut his teeth as an underage teen prodigy in blues clubs in his native Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin in the early '70s and over the course of the next decade established himself as the top guitar slinger in town with his retro-fitted power trio Double Trouble, which included drummer Chris Slayton and former Johnny Winter bassist Tommy Shannon. A show-stopping set at the 1982 Montreaux Jazz Festival led to Vaughan being signed to a recording contract by the legendary John Hammond, discoverer of (among others) Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Those raising any eyebrows over the pedigree were, like everyone else who heard it, simply blown away by Texas Flood. Highlighted by cover tunes such as the bracing title track and an incendiary version of Howlin' Wolf's "Tell Me," as well as such above-average original compositions as "Pride and Joy" and "I'm Crying," Texas Flood not only showcased Vaughan's daunting abilities as a thrilling, virtuosic instrumentalist, but also helped reignite a blues-rock genre that had been fairly dormant for well over a decade. As they say, a stone classic.