Watch Stevie Ray Vaughan cover Jimi Hendrix classic ‘Voodoo Child’
If there’s one guitarist who can live up to the great Jimi Hendrix, then it’s probably Stevie Ray Vaughan. Here, the legendary guitarist pulls out all the stops to deliver an earth-shaking cover of one of Jimi’s most iconic recordings: 1968’s ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’.
When Stevie Ray Vaughan came to prominence the blues was going through its own dark age. With his incredible skill and effortless style, Stevie helped reignite interest in the genre, sparking the blues revival of the 1980s. He drew on the work of bluesmen like Muddy Waters, Albert King and Otis Rush, blending the classic Chicago blues style with the innovations of ’60s mainstays like Lonnie Mack and, of course, Jimi Hendrix.
The result was a fiery guitar style that sounded like nothing else. For nearly a decade, he was the golden boy of the American blues, selling out concert after concert and releasing gold-rated albums until his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1990.
As a life-long fan of Jimi Hendrix, it’s only right that Vaughan took on ‘Voodoo Chid’ at least once in his life. The archetypal rock freak out, ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ was recorded after Hendrix and his band had finished recording the slower ‘Voodoo Chile’, a 15-minute explorative jam featured on the Electric Ladyland album. Just as they were about to pack down, an ABC camera crew arrived in the studio to film a segment on The Experience. After being told to “make like you’re playing, boys”, Jimi turned to his band and said “Okay, let’s do this in E,” and the rest is history.
Stevie recorded this cover of ‘Voodoo Child’ for his second studio album Can’t Stand The Weather Album, which saw him team up with blues rock outfit Double Trouble. This performance sees Vaughan deliver a note-perfect rendition of the Hendrix classic, and yet he still manages to make it his own. He even manages to mimic Jimi’s stutter effect, while his guitar tone is nearly identical to that in the original recording.
There are moments when it’s actually quite dizzying just how easy Vaughan makes this song look. We’ve all dreamt of nailing a cover of ‘Voodoo Chid’ and impressing everyone, but Stevie Ray Vaughan did it without even batting an eyelid. It’s as if he was born to play that song, and boy does he play.
Make sure you check out Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ if you haven’t already. If you’re not a Stevie fanatic by now, prepare to be initiated.
