Assuming they read liner notes, even mildly devoted Stevie Ray Vaughan fans will be familiar with the name Doyle Bramhall.
Bramhall, an Austin-based singer and drummer who died in 2011, wrote several classic SRV tracks, including "Lookin' Out the Window," "Life By the Drop" and "Change It." He also co-wrote several killer songs with Vaughan, including "Dirty Pool," "The House Is Rockin'" and "Tightrope."
What a lot of Vaughan fans might not know is that Bramhall and SRV co-wrote a hard-charging funk/jazz instrumental number called “Chateau Strut,” which never appeared on a Vaughan album. In fact, Bramhall didn't decide to record it until 2006 or 2007, 15-plus years after Vaughan's tragic death in 1990. It's one of the highlights of Bramhall's third and final solo album, 2007's Is It News (Yep Roc).
Be sure to check out Bramhall's version of “Chateau Strut” below (top video). In a sense, it can be considered a "lost" SRV track, an original song that might've fit perfectly on an SRV album that will, of course, never exist. To hear Vaughan play the track, check out the bottom YouTube clip (below), which is labeled "Ultra-Rare Stevie Vaughan 'Chateau Strut' Live Instrumental." We're not sure where or when it's from, or even if it's truly SRV, but it sure as hell sounds like him.
According to Brahmall, who was the father of singer/lefty guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, “Chateau Strut” was written around 1974, when Vaughan, Bramhall and keyboardist Billy Etheridge were warming up at an East Texas club called the Club Chateau. This rendition, featuring Mike Keller on guitar, Etheridge on piano and Bramhall on drums, was recorded in one take, because, Bramhall joked, “my arms couldn’t do any more.”
According to AllMusic.com, the tasty, song-propelling bass line is played by Scott Nelson.
As a singer, songwriter and drummer, Bramhall was an integral part of the extended Texas music scene for 40 years, not to mention one of the founding fathers of the blues/roots resurgence that was synonymous with the Lone Star State and the blues/roots migration from Dallas to Austin.
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Growing up in Dallas, Bramhall's Chessmen opened for Jimi Hendrix in 1968, when Bramhall was in his teens. Moving to Austin with the band’s guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan, the two formed Storm, which Bramhall eventually left to form the Nightcrawlers, this time with Vaughan’s little brother, Stevie Ray.
Jimmie Vaughan plays on Is It News, by the way. His distinctive Strat picking can be heard on the bluesy "Little Star (The Moon Is Shining)."
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
