Jimmie Lee Vaughan
Encyclopedia
Jimmie Lee "Big Jim" Vaughan (September 6, 1921 – August 27, 1986) was the father of American
blues
guitarists
Jimmie
and Stevie Ray Vaughan
. Big Jim was known as being boisterous and quick-tempered. He had relatives who performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
and Tommy Dorsey
. Big Jim died on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis
.
, Big Jim was the son of a sharecropper
, growing up with his mother and seven siblings when his father died in 1928. At age sixteen, he dropped out of school and enlisted in the United States Navy
during World War II
.
After the war, Big Jim relocated to Oak Cliff
, a suburb
of Dallas, and worked as a sales clerk at a 7-Eleven
convenience store
. One of Big Jim's frequent customers was Martha Cook, a graduate of Sunset High School. They married on January 13, 1950. Both Big Jim and Martha had a love for music. Though they didn't play any instruments, they liked dance to Western swing
at local juke joints
and ballrooms. He often played "42
," a game with dominoes
, with members of Bob Wills
' band The Texas Playboys.
Martha gave birth to their first son James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan on March 20, 1951. Three years later, they had another son named Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan. Big Jim soon found a new job as an asbestos
worker, taking the family to various construction
sites throughout the South
. Eventually, they settled into a modest home in Oak Cliff. After long days at work, Big Jim liked to relax by drinking alcohol, though he would take his frustrations out on his family.
After working in a garage
in his later years, Big Jim died at the Medical City Dallas Hospital
on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis
. He is buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarists
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jimmie
Jimmie Vaughan
James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan is an American blues rock guitarist and singer from Dallas, Texas, United States. He is the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan....
and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
. Big Jim was known as being boisterous and quick-tempered. He had relatives who performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...
and Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
. Big Jim died on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs caused by the inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers...
.
History
Born in Rockwall, TexasRockwall, Texas
Rockwall is a city in Rockwall County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 37,490 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Rockwall County. Rockwall County is the second wealthiest county in the state of Texas in terms...
, Big Jim was the son of a sharecropper
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
, growing up with his mother and seven siblings when his father died in 1928. At age sixteen, he dropped out of school and enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After the war, Big Jim relocated to Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Dallas, and worked as a sales clerk at a 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
. One of Big Jim's frequent customers was Martha Cook, a graduate of Sunset High School. They married on January 13, 1950. Both Big Jim and Martha had a love for music. Though they didn't play any instruments, they liked dance to Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
at local juke joints
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
and ballrooms. He often played "42
42 (dominoes)
42, also known as Texas 42, is a trick-taking game played with a standard set of double six dominoes. 42 is often referred to as the "national game of Texas", and continues to be very popular in much of the state. Tournaments are held in many towns, and the State Championship tournament is held...
," a game with dominoes
Dominoes
Dominoes generally refers to the collective gaming pieces making up a domino set or to the subcategory of tile games played with domino pieces. In the area of mathematical tilings and polyominoes, the word domino often refers to any rectangle formed from joining two congruent squares edge to edge...
, with members of Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
' band The Texas Playboys.
Martha gave birth to their first son James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan on March 20, 1951. Three years later, they had another son named Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan. Big Jim soon found a new job as an asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
worker, taking the family to various construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
sites throughout the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. Eventually, they settled into a modest home in Oak Cliff. After long days at work, Big Jim liked to relax by drinking alcohol, though he would take his frustrations out on his family.
After working in a garage
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
in his later years, Big Jim died at the Medical City Dallas Hospital
Medical City Dallas Hospital
Medical City Dallas is a hospital located at 7777 Forest Lane, just west of North Central Expressway , in north Dallas, Texas . It is operated byHospital Corporation of America- History :...
on August 27, 1986 from asbestosis
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs caused by the inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers...
. He is buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.