Courtesy: Dominic Pedler / Loudersound.com 

The 80s also saw the blues transform like never before, with Stevie Ray Vaughan drawing in hard rockers and purists alike and Robert Cray taking it to the masses.

While the blues had been the essential touchstone of 60s rock, inspiring the major players from the Rolling Stones and Cream to Jimi Hendrix and early Led Zeppelin, it had steadily fallen from grace during the following decade. Prog, punk, disco and heavy metal successively took centre stage, and the rise of the synth signalled the demotion of the guitar.

But deep in the American heartland there was a revolution brewing, which would produce a barrage of new six-string heroes. Leading the charge in 1983 was a 29-year-old Texan who rewrote the blues rules with the power of Jimi Hendrix, the soul of Albert King and a sackful of further influences from Lonnie Mack to Kenny Burrell.

‘Discovered’ by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a Dallas club, Stevie Ray Vaughan transformed the genre, becoming a superstar following his 1983 album Texas Flood, the most impressive blues debut since Eric Clapton on John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers back in 1966.

The 80s also saw the blues mutate like never before. While Stevie Ray Vaughan drew in hard rockers and purists alike, Robert Cray took the blues to the masses, with 1986’s Strong Persuader becoming a million-selling success. And let’s not forget ZZ Top’s make-over from rednecks to cheeky, chart-friendly blues rockers.

Meanwhile, having dabbled in jazz fusion with The Yellowjackets, session ace Robben Ford brought a sophistication to the blues when he went back to his roots for his debut solo album. At the other extreme, George Thorogood supercharged a supply of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker standards with his searing slide-guitar style.

As the dust was settling, a blind Canadian upped the ante with an extraordinary two-handed style. Playing with his guitar on his lap, Jeff Healey saw out the decade with renditions of his heroes, while scoring mainstream success with his songwriting.

The new blues scene prompted John Lee Hooker to reinvent himself as the elder statesman of the blues. With Carlos Santana, Keith Richards and Bonnie Raitt among the stars guesting his album The Healer, the record became a blueprint for a string of celebrity blues collaborations in the following decade.

All that was missing was another British Blues Boom. Apart from the highlights on 1985’s Behind The Sun, Eric Clapton was largely overshadowed by the action on the other side of the Atlantic. At least until his performance at Live Aid sparked his revival and a welcome return to recording form with Journeyman.

Waiting in the wings was the next British Blues God, Gary Moore, preparing to ditch his heavy metal halo as the 90s dawned. But that’ll have to wait.

Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for January 2025, Richard P! Learn more about Richard below!

Where are you from?: New York

How many years have you been a fan?: 45 years

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: "Move It On Over"

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? What was your favorite show? I have not seen him yet but I'm finally going to in February and I'm so excited!

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: I have fond memories of George Thorogood playing on the old kitchen radio in my childhood home, the guitars and distinctive voice booming while mom cooked. When I hear George and the Destroyers it makes me feel alive and happy, his music is such a part of my DNA for so long.

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Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for December 2024, Mike W! Learn more about Mike below!

Where are you from?: From New Castle, Delaware but live in Ohio now

How many years have you been a fan?: Since 1977- 47 years

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: "Move It On Over"

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? What was your favorite show? 2, first/best was cleveland around 1981

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: I knew George from our days as batboys for Parkway semi pro baseball in Wilmington, DE. We both grew up with a love of baseball.

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Courtesy: Phil Weller / GuitarPlayer.com 

The George Thorogood guitarist has played with Joe Bonamassa and Billy Gibbons, but meeting SRV was a career highlight

Nine years before he got his big break in George Thorogood and the Destroyers, a young Texan guitarist by the name of Jim Suhler seized his chance to make an impression on Stevie Ray Vaughan.

“I met him for the first time in 1989,” he tells Guitar World. “We had a family jewelry shop in Dallas and Stevie had an old antique watch he brought in to get repaired. I just happened to be there when he came in. In fact, I walked right past him when my dad was talking to him.”

Suhler had yet to break into the music industry at this point. It would be another three years before the release of his debut album as Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat, and his father wanted to help him achieve his dreams.

“My dad called me back and said, ‘Son, there’s somebody here you want to meet.’ And it was Stevie,” Suhler recollects. “I was in my late 20s trying to get it together. I hadn’t met George at that point, so my dad asked him: ‘Do you have any advice for my son?’

“I was really embarrassed by that,” he admits, “but Stevie said to me, ‘Yeah, keep it clean.’ To me, one of the greatest parts of his legacy was his sobriety and him helping others through that journey.”

With those words still ringing in his ears, Suhler awaited Vaughan’s return to the store. But it was a day that never came. Inexplicably, the guitarist never returned to pick up his watch.

So when he and his band rolled into the city once more a year later, in 1990, he knew what he had to do.

“I took the watch out to where he was playing, got backstage, and gave it back to him," Suhler says. "He had a light — an aura or energy — about him. It was palpable. It was real and he was very powerful. God bless him. He was a great man.”

The show, as part of the B.B. King–headlined Benson & Hedges Blues Festival, would prove to be one of SRV’s last. The guitarist died tragically that August.

But where one legacy ended, another began. Buoyed by his idol’s advice, Suhler developed his career as a solo artist with a slew of album releases. He was also featured on Robert Ealey's 1995 album, If You Need Me, before he caught Thorogood's eye.

Since then, Suhler has gone on to enjoy quite the career, releasing four studio albums as part of Thorogood's band. During that time he's opened for AC/DC and performed with Joe Bonamassa and "The Reverend" Billy F. Gibbons, who officiated at his wedding.

Suhler tapped Joe Bonamassa for a Hendrix-esque number on his 2007 solo album, having seen the guitarist “killing it” with a Rory Gallagher cover while on the road with Thorogood in San Diego, in 2001. He says he needed “superhuman skills” to bring the song to life, and Bonamassa, who has recently talked about why he's brought Dumbles back into his live rig, was the man for the job.

As for his Gibbons-bolstered wedding, Suhler says, “You haven’t lived until you’ve gone out on the town in Texas with Billy Gibbons. His influence is very big on me, personally as well as musically.”

For more from Stevie Ray Vaughan, check out his recently revived classic GP interview, which sees him talking about jamming with B.B. and Freddie King, Dumble amps, and dodging bullets while playing his earliest shows.