Touching Tribute To Musical Icon Emerges Amid Austin Flooding

AUSTIN, TEXAS — No strangers to flooding, Central Texas residents know the drill: Stay updated with weather alerts before each deluge, fuel up the car in case escape is needed, stock up on bottled water and rations, have gas generator at the ready in case of power outage and outfit statues of beloved musical icons in rain gear.

Wait, what was that last one?

Before Austin officially became the "live music capital of the world," artists born bred and buttered in Texas put the capital city on the musical map. Aside from Willie Nelson, one of the most influential of those musical pioneers was Stevie Ray Vaughan — musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and one of the most influential guitarists from the 1980s blues revival.

Though he's been gone for nearly 30 years now, Vaughan's legacy is intact and his influence ongoing. Rolling Stone magazine recently ranked him as the 12th best guitarist ever, in rarefied company with the likes of Albert King, David Gilmore, Freddie King, Les Paul, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and other greats.

Pop into the Hole in the Wall off the main drag fronting UT-Austin along Guadalupe Street, amble into the Continental Club after shopping at the cute stores or eating at any number of fine eateries on South Congress Avenue or hit the legendary Antone's nightclub downtown — one of Vaughan's favorite musical playgrounds back in the day — and you're bound to hear guitar licks reminiscent of the late artist's inimitable style, musically bespeaking his enduring influence on young musicians earnestly trying to emulate their musical hero.

Which brings us back to now. In light of historic flooding over the course of this week, Austin has closed off access to parks and waterways until the waters recede. But someone had the presence of mind to outfit the Vaughan statue downtown with a life vest. Among the reporters covering the flood to inform the public, KVUE reporter Jay Wallis spotted this impromptu memorial at the statue fronting rain-swollen Lady Bird Lake before the area was blocked to public access.

“Someone out there is caring for one of Austin’s most well known statues today!” Wallis wrote on Facebook. “When I showed up to Lady Bird Lake earlier this morning, this life vest had already been placed on our Stevie Ray Vaughan statue."

The protective gear was placed on the statue just as Lower Colorado River Authority officials were busy opening Mansfield Dam floodgates to relieve its overburdened ranks while mulling the possibilities of releasing more water. "Looks like Stevie will be ready for whatever happens," Wallis added.

Some of us remember the devastating Halloween flood of 2013 resulting in the loss of lives and property. Photos of Vaughan's statue underwater made the rounds then, adding another heart-rending sight telegraphing the destructive aftermath in the floods' wake. Our thoughts were with the flesh-and-blood victims of natural disaster from that flooding, but the Vaughan statue emerged again as handy local barometer alerting us visually to the severity of flooding then too.

So this rainy season's tribute is a fitting one coincidentally coming on the month of his birth, a gesture extending beyond climactic considerations. It certainly makes up for the time in February when a spray-can-clutching miscreant unleashed graffiti on the memorial before outfitting it in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey in trying to make some sort of disjointed sports commentary. Sacrilege!

But we won't be discussing that incident further.

Many of us of a certain age remember the day Vaughan died when the helicopter he was in following a Wisconsin jam session crashed. He was only 35 years old. Though Dallas-born, he was something of a fixture in Austin where he dropped in frequently on his way to gigs or musical collegiality with fellow artists. We remember that sad August 1990 day as one when the music died, thrusting Texans far and wide in the throes of collective grief. Like other seminal moments in our nation's history, those of us who loved him remember exactly where we were when we heard the tragic news.

Yet amid enduring sadness over the inestimable loss, fans' spirits are buoyed when visiting his statue — a tangible tribute to his everlasting greatness. And that life vest that popped up recently? Well, Stevie's going to be okay out there gazing across the swollen lake with or without the flotation device while the rest of us wait for the waters to dissipate.

It may be floodin' down in Texas, Stevie, where all the telephone lines might be down. But we got your back in Austin where folks don't forget their musical heroes, even as things seem to fall apart. And somewhere — in a corner of heaven jamming with Prince, Chuck Berry, George Harrison and B.B. King — we know you're smiling.

Related stories:

36 More Texas Counties Declared Disaster Areas Amid Flooding

Officials Poised To Open Mansfield Dam Floodgates As Levels Rise

Nature's Fury: Central Texas Rain Leaves Destruction In Its Wake

Lake Austin Residents Brace For Man-Made Deluge As Dams Open

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