Doyle Bramhall, 62, a blues singer, drummer and songwriter best known for his collaborations with Stevie Ray Vaughan, died Saturday at his home in Alpine, Texas. The cause was not given.
Bramhall wrote or co-wrote numerous songs recorded by Vaughan, including "The House Is Rockin'," "Life by the Drop," "Scratch-N-Sniff" and "Tightrope."
In Texas he was a draw on his own, a bandleader with a gritty and soulful blues voice that greatly influenced the way Vaughan sang.
Bramhall was born Feb. 17, 1949, in Dallas. He said in interviews that his older brother was an early influence on his musical tastes.
"In the early '60s he had four or five friends who'd come over and listen to these great old blues albums," Bramhall told the Houston Chronicle in 2007. "I'd sit outside his bedroom door and listen to Muddy [Waters] and B.B. [King] and Lightnin' Slim and Lightnin' Hopkins."
In high school Bramhall started a band called the Chessmen featuring Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray's older brother, on guitar; the group once opened for Jimi Hendrix when he played Dallas.
By the 1970s Bramhall was keeping the beat in Texas Storm, which featured both Vaughan brothers and became popular on the club scene in Austin, Texas. Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in 1990.
Bramhall later released a handful of solo albums. His son, Doyle II, plays guitar with Eric Clapton's band.
More:
http://www.spinner.com/2011/11/14/doyle-bramhall-sr-dead/
