“Brothers in Blues” is the never-before-told story behind the music of Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan as told by those who knew them best. It’s an insider’s look at their early days, the rise and the triumph of two of the best guitarists from Texas and goes deeper into their background and history than previous works because of the full cooperation of Jimmie Vaughan.
Using never-before-seen photos and home movies, the documentary provides new revelations about Stevie Ray Vaughan and the person he called his favorite guitarist, brother Jimmie. All-new on-camera interviews with Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Jackson Browne, Nile Rodgers, Jimmie himself and their earliest band mates, helps trace the climb of two young men from a small, frame house in Oak Cliff to the top of the rock heap.
The film also looks at the explosion of rock bands after the Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, the teen club scene in Oak Cliff that spawned the Vaughan Brothers, and their eventual move to Austin, TX where they became mainstays of the late 70s “live music capitol of the world” landscape.
From there, their recording careers are highlighted, as well as their collaborations with the rock and roll elite like Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Billy Gibbons, Carlos Santana, Nile Rodgers, and more. ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons tells of playing the Texas club circuit in the 1960s and watching a 15-year-old Jimmie Vaughan with The Chessmen, his early band and the events leading up to his being a witness at Stevie’s wedding. Nile Rodgers tells of working with Stevie on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and producing “Family Style”, the last studio recording by Jimmie and Stevie.
As the only production that Jimmie Vaughan has ever collaborated with, he and Eric Clapton give their first on-camera interviews about what happened on the night that Stevie died, while Jackson Browne recounts loaning his recording studio to Double Trouble for their album, “Texas Flood,” and singing at Stevie’s funeral.
Written and Directed by Kirby Warnock, it is available now across streaming platforms in North America.