Thompson Twins

Much merriment was gained from their name (they took it from the detectives in bowler hats who featured in the Tintin comics) as there were three in the band; none of them were twins; and none of them were called Thompson. A direct replica of Stevie Ray Vaughan's primary guitar. The two divorced in 2004. In 2004, Fender releases the Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Model "Number One" Stratocaster Guitar (http://www.fender.com/misc/winternamm2004/srv_tribute/index.html). The band have, however, declined to follow the examples of many of their contemporaries and reform to tie in with a nostalgic rebirth of the 1980s. In 1994, the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue was erected at Auditorium Shores on Town Lake in Austin, Texas. Bailey and Currie, despite years of denying romantic inclinations at the height of their fame, got married and now raise their family in New Zealand while still occasionally dabbling in music under the name Babble. As of 2004, this model is still in production.

Leeway left and the remaining duo soldiered on for another seven years, only occasionally puncturing the singles charts and never again making the Top 40. In 1992, Fender released the Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster, designed along with Stevie before his death. As the most talked about and hippest woman on the planet at the time, her appearance with the Thompson Twins should have helped their cause further, but by the end of the year, by which time they'd enjoyed three US Top 10 hits, they'd plummeted substantially. In 1991, Texas governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3, Vaughan's birthday, to be "Stevie Ray Vaughan Day.". In 1985, they had three hits which were palpable compared to the previous year's highs, but still made headlines when they performed at the American end of Live Aid and were joined onstage by the fresh-faced Madonna, who was in only her second year of fame. Stevie Ray Vaughan is interred in the Laurel Land Memorial Park, Dallas, Texas. The trio had peaked. Jimmie Vaughan would later co-write and record a song in tribute to his brother and other late blues guitarists, entitled "Six Strings Down".

The corresponding album, "Into The Gap" was one of the best sellers of the year. 1991's The Sky is Crying was the first of several posthumous Vaughan releases with chart success. Three equally as mature singles followed into 1984 - the poppy "Doctor Doctor"; the quirky, accordion-dominated "You Take Me Up" (at No.2, their biggest UK hit); and the haunting "Sister Of Mercy". A duet album, Family Style, with his brother, Jimmie Vaughan (also a noted blues-rock guitarist and former member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds) was released in September 1990 after Stevie's death and was a popular hit. It hit the Top 3 and remains one of the more timeless singles from an era and decade which tends to date a little more easily than others. Vaughan's comeback was cut tragically short when, in the early morning of August 27, 1990, he was killed when a helicopter he was riding in crashed near East Troy, Wisconsin following a concert at the Alpine Valley music theater where he had appeared earlier in the evening with Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton. It defied the trends of the electronic pop which was still dominating the charts, relying almost wholly on an emotive piano, some clever percussion from the New Zealand-born Currie and a heartfelt vocal from Bailey. Following his return, Vaughan recorded In Step (1989), another critically acclaimed disc that won a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Blues Record.

At the end of 1983, a single "Hold me Now" was released. He checked into rehab in Georgia later that year. Further hits from debut album "Quickstep And Sidekick" followed, with Bailey's flame-red hair and bright ponytail and Currie's wasp-swatting style at the xylophone swiftly becoming endearing images of an exciting new act. Drug addiction and alcoholism took a toll on Vaughan, and in the mid 1980s, he collapsed, while on tour in 1986. The remaining trio - singer and main musician Bailey; lyricist and percussionist Alannah Currie (born September 20, 1959); and multi-instrumentalist and stylings guru Joe Leeway (born November 15, 1957) - broke into the UK charts at the beginning of 1983 with "Love On Your Side". The debut was followed by equally successful followups Couldn't Stand the Weather (1984) and Soul to Soul (1985). After a lucky break, they were signed up to Arista records and group leader Tom Bailey (born January 18, 1956) paid off four of the members in return for their instruments. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's debut album was released in 1983; the critically acclaimed Texas Flood (produced by John Hammond) featured the top-20 hit "Pride and Joy" and sold well in both blues and rock circles.

They were originally a new-wave act who, after the founding threesome moved south from Sheffield, had so little money that they lived as squatters in London, with the personnel rising to seven members. Bowie first caught Vaughan at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he was initially booed by many who disliked his hard blues sound. Vaughan is most notably featured on Bowie's album Let's Dance, in the songs "Let's Dance" and "China Girl.". The Thompson Twins are a British band which emerged in the 1980s in the immediate aftermath of New Romanticism, scoring a string of hits and conquering the USA in the process. A popular local draw, Vaughan soon attracted attention from David Bowie and Jackson Browne, and he played on albums with both. After playing in a series of bands, Dallas-native Vaughan formed the blues-rock combo Double Trouble with drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon in the late 1970s. His playing style is often compared to that of Jimi Hendrix, though such comparisons often inspire sharp debate among music fans.

Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954–August 27, 1990) was an American blues guitar legend, known as one of the most influential electric blues musicians in history. Greatest Hits (1995). In The Beginning (1992). The Sky Is Crying (1991).

In Step (1989). Live Alive! (1986). Soul to Soul (1985). Couldn't Stand the Weather (1984).

Texas Flood (1983).