In the 1950’s, two elements were born and, over time, have grown to their own greatest. The building where the Flickinger Center for Performing Arts is housed was opened in 1956. In 1988, the building was purchased by Margaret Flickinger, and she started a not-for-profit organization and donated a permanent space for performing arts to thrive in Alamogordo, NM. In Austin, Texas, in 1951, Jimmie Vaughan Jr. was born, later becoming an award-winning blues rock artist and singer. Monday, September 30, 2024, Jimmie Vaughan stepped on stage to a cheering and yelling sold-out crowd. Opening the night was award winning blues artist Mathias Lattin from Houston, TX.
Mathias Lattin
Mathias Lattin is a 22-year-old Houston native who started performing at the age of 12. At 20 years old, he won Best Guitarist and Best Band at the 2023 International Blues Challenge, becoming the youngest artist to win the awards. In 2024, he has become a Blues Music Award Nominee.
Lattin‘s latest album, Up Next , shows the versatility, strength, and control that he has in the blues community; he is showing us all he is here to stay, so move over or move on. His guitar riffs are strong and steady, and his vocals are crisp and fresh, letting the world know that the blues is here and stronger than ever. When he was finished for the night, I wanted to hear more.
Watch for more to come from this young artist as he keeps getting invited to perform at festivals around the U.S. and being asked to open for many bands. We were lucky to get to listen and enjoy his music here in New Mexico. If you want to follow Lattin, you can go to the following links.
https://www.instagram.com/mathiaslattin
https://linktr.ee/MathiasLattin
Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan is the older brother and former band mate to blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who the world lost in a helicopter accident in 1990. In the late 1970’s, he formed The Fabulous Thunderbirds and released seven albums with them. In 1990, he went on to start a solo career and released ten albums, plus an album with his late brother Stevie Ray that wasn’t released until after his death.
Vaughan has won four Grammy Awards, and in 2020, was awarded the Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year. He continues today after 50 years of entertaining people, keeping blues alive and making sure that younger generations will pick up a guitar, be inspired to follow in this legendary family’s shoes, and let future generations know who the leader in the business of the blues was. You know you’re as big as Vaughan when Fender Guitars makes the Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster.
When Vaughan stepped on stage with his band, The Tilt-A-Whirl’s, in Alamogordo, the place was electrified by his presence- women were screaming, guys were shouting, and a whole lot of clapping was going on. He opened the show with “Hold It” and “Comin & Goin,” followed by “Roll, Roll, Roll.” He jumped around the multiple albums he has produced, picking out some of the famous songs in his collection, including “Baby, Please Come Home,” “Just a Little Bit,” and a song he performed with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, “The Crawl.” He ended his performance with five encore songs, including “Six Strings Down,” a tribute to his late great brother Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Vaughan is a powerhouse after almost two hours of continuously playing the guitar. At the end, he looked like he was good for another hour. You couldn’t tell that he had just come back from taking the summer off to recover from a major health issue. My hat is off to this legend that shows no end to his game. Let’s hope that his influence in the blues genre lives on for generation after generation. If you have never heard of Jimmie Vaughan or you want to re-listen to one of his many albums, follow these links; you will not be disappointed.
https://www.instagram.com/jimmievaughanofficial
https://www.facebook.com/jimmievaughanofficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIFbC_zxupZdWO_fRGaumw
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