Bill Crawford and Joe Nick Patoski have been involved in writing and the music industry for most of their adult lives. From 1990 to 1993, they combined their literary talents and connections with the music industry insiders to write an unauthorized biography of blues guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990), who died in a helicopter accident near East Troy, Wisconsin. In spring 1993, Little, Brown and Co. published Crawford and Patoski's
Born in New York City in 1955, Bill Crawford attended Andover and Harvard, where he majored in comparative religion. He moved to Texas after graduation and became involved in radio. He worked as a disc jockey at a music station in Midland and later earned a masters degree in business administration at the University of Texas at Austin. A freelance writer and radio and television producer since 1981, Crawford has produced segments for Music Television and the nationally syndicated public affairs program, Asian Communique. He was an associate editor of
Joe Nick Patoski moved with his family to Fort Worth in 1953, at the age of two. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he began his career as a writer and consultant in the music business in 1972. Starting as a columnist with the
Correspondence, printed material, financial documentation, interviews, photographic material, legal documentation, notes, creative works, audio and video recordings, and machine-readable records, created and maintained by Bill Crawford and Joe Nick Patoski, document the research, production, and promotion processes of their co-authored biography,
The collection consists of three main series, the Crawford Files, the Patoski Files, and the Audio and Video Materials Series. The Crawford Files and Patoski Files represent each author's individual research, production, and promotion for the book. Generally, the series representing one author will contain material created and maintained only by that author, although some overlap does occur, as the two authors collaborated closely on this project. Each author's differing methods of research and production are revealed by the structure and contents of their files, which are listed briefly in the Series Summary, following the Series Descriptions. The Audio and Video Materials Series was created for ease of access to this varied material, which was created and maintained by both authors. It includes interviews, musical performances, a recording of Stevie Ray Vaughan's funeral service and consists of formats such as cassette audiotapes, VHS videotapes, and CD-ROM audio discs.
Because this biography of Stevie Ray Vaughan was unauthorized, the authors did not have the cooperation of the Vaughan family, including his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, nor that of certain other key figures in Vaughan's life, including Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, and Reece Wynans, of his band, Double Trouble. However, published interviews with these important figures do appear in this collection, complementing the original research done by the authors. This collection sheds a unique light on Stevie Ray Vaughan's life and musical career. At the same time, it documents the rise of the blues in the Austin music scene during the 1970s and 1980s, a time when progressive country artists, such as Willie Nelson, reigned supreme. Of particular note are the many interviews with Stevie Ray Vaughan's musical mentors and colleagues such as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, W.C. Clark, Ray Benson, Kim Wilson, Angela Strehli, and Antone's owner, Clifford Antone. Interviews with Stevie Ray Vaughan's longtime friend, Dale Bramhall, twin brother to Doyle Bramhall, Vaughan's closest songwriting partner and friend, lend important insights into the history of certain albums and certain periods of the late musician's life. Many of the interviews conducted for this project bring to light what had for years been stories held only among Austin musical enclaves. Also, bootleg recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan performances dating back as far as 1975, and many candid and publicity photographs dating back to the mid-1970s, are of special interest. Inclusive dates range from 1964- 1995, with the bulk of the material dating from 1990-1993.
Open for research. Photocopying allowed. JNP holds copyright for
Donated by Bill Crawford and Joe Nick Patoski, 1993.
Ashley Schimmelman, Emily Painton, Kristen Davis-Vontrat, and Mandy York Oates, 1998.
Not all interviews on audiotape have written transcripts, and conversely, not all transcripts are represented by audiotapes. Existing transcripts are filed with the series of the author who conducted the interview. The interview audiotapes themselves are simply listed in alphabetical order in Series III, each tape has been assigned a number, and when a transcript is available for a particular tape, its location (by box and folder) will be noted on this list.