Stephen Ray Vaughan was born on the 3rd October 1954, in Dallas, Texas, USA and was a musician, singer and songwriter as well as a record producer. As Stevie Ray Vaughan, he is widely known as on of the most influential electric guitarists ever, as well as one of the figures most responsible for the 1980s revival of blues. Stevie Ray Vaughan died on the 27th August 1990 after a helicopter crash.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth he accumulated for life? How rich Stevie Ray Vaughan was? According to sources, it was estimated that the total size of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s net worth would be around $8 million, primarily acquired throughout his 20-year long mainstream music career which ended with his tragically death.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Net Worth $8 million
Stevie was born as the younger of two sons of Martha Cook and Jim Vaughan. Due to the nature of his father’s job (ex-military, later asbestos worker), Stevie spent his childhood in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. His childhood was also impacted by his father’s domestic violence and alcohol abuse issues, so Stevie began playing guitar at the age of seven as a mean of escape. It soon became his sanctuary which led him to a successful music career which officially began in 1965. Just 10 years old at that time, Stevie founded his first band – The Chantones, and spent the rest of his teenage years circulating Dallas’ club scene. These engagements traced the path to his further musical success, and provided the basis for his net worth.
After several years spent in the Brooklyn Underground, Stevie teamed up with the Southern Distributor. However, due to band’s pop-rock style and Stevie’s aspirations towards blues, they parted ways. Subsequently, he joined the Krackerjack band, and although he enrolled at the Justin F. Kimball High School, he dropped out in his sophomore year to pursue his music career full-time. In 1971, Stevie Ray Vaughan moved to Austin, Texas where he formed his own band – Blackbird. In 1973 he joined the Nightcrawlers with whom he recorded an album, and although it was rejected by several studios, the album featured Vaughan’s first songwriting efforts – “Crawlin” and “Dirty Pool”. It is certain that these accomplishments made a positive impact on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s overall wealth.
However, the real breakthrough in Stevie’s music career came in 1978 when he formed the band Double Trouble. By the end of the year, they had become regular performers in one of Austin’s most hyped clubs – the Rome Inn. The group gained national attention after the Montreux Jazz Festival which served as the band’s springboard. In 1983 Stevie was chosen by David Bowie to participate in his new album “Let’s Dance”, on which he played guitar in six out of eight songs. Later that year, Double Trouble with Stevie Ray Vaughan as its frontman released their debut studio album – “Texas Flood” which featured several hit singles such as “Love Struck Baby”, eponymous cover song “Texas Flood”, and “Lenny”, a song dedicated to his beloved wife. Following this success, the group released its second studio album “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” in 1984. These achievements massively increased Stevie Ray Vaughan’s popularity, as well as his overall net worth.
Despite Stevie Ray Vaughan’s glistening music career, there was also a dark side of his life; substance abuse issues, drugs and alcohol almost got him killed throughout the 1980s. At the peak of his substance abuse lifestyle, Stevie were consuming a quart of whiskey and 7 grams of cocaine daily. However, after a four week rehabilitation treatment in Peachford Hospital in Atlanta in 1986, Stevie returned to his music career, which was then ended by his tragic death on 27th August 1990, after a helicopter crash, after the night before performing alongside Eric Clapton at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s specific music style, rooted in blues, jazz and rock, paved the road for plenty of young, upcoming artist who revive the memory of Stevie and his legacy.
When it comes to his personal life, Stevie was married to Leonora “Lenny” Bailey between 1979 and 1986. From 1986 ’til his death, Stevie was engaged to Janna Lapidus.
