We lost a giant, the great Stevie Ray Vaughan, twenty years ago today.

The highest compliment I can pay Stevie is to say he was a true guitar god.

He had just finished playing a show at Alpine Valley along with his brother Jimmie, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, when his helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff on its way to Chicago’s Midway Airport.

Alpine Valley is about 45 minutes from my home, but I wasn’t at that show because I was in the process of moving back to Milwaukee at the time. I remember being totally stunned when I heard what happened the next day.

I only had the opportunity to see Stevie live a couple times, but the show I saw him do with Jeff Beck in Birmingham, Alabama in ‘89 still rates as one of the greatest concerts I’ve been blessed to see.

Here’s that amazing duo playing a raucous version of “Goin’ Down.” These cats play guitar as if they invented it.