Doyle Bramhall

Biography

Doyle Bramhall (1949.02.17/Dallas, TX - 2011.11.12/Alpine) was strictly a Texas blues musician, a talented guitarist, drummer and singer who has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie Vaughan. Bramhall is sometimes confused with his son, Doyle Bramhall II, who is also a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. It was initially reported that Mr. Bramhall may have died as a result of complications from pneumonia. One of his final North Texas performances was at 2011's Main St. Fort Worth...

Doyle Bramhall (1949.02.17/Dallas, TX - 2011.11.12/Alpine) was strictly a Texas blues musician, a talented guitarist, drummer and singer who has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie Vaughan. Bramhall is sometimes confused with his son, Doyle Bramhall II, who is also a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

It was initially reported that Mr. Bramhall may have died as a result of complications from pneumonia. One of his final North Texas performances was at 2011's Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival. He was scheduled to perform Nov. 26 at the Granada Theater, with support from Fort Worth's Quaker City Night Hawks.

As a boy, Doyle Bramhall would jam in the family garage with local children, including the future ZZ Top guitarists Billy Gibbons (lead), and Dusty Hill (bass). While in high school, Bramhall joined The Chessmen with Jimmie Vaughan. The group opened for Jimi Hendrix when Hendrix played Dallas.

In 1969, Bramhall moved to Austin and formed Texas Storm with Jimmie Vaughan. In the 1970s, Bramhall formed The Nightcrawlers with Marc Benno, which also included Jimmie Vaughan's younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar. While in The Nightcrawlers, Bramhall co-wrote the tune "Dirty Pool," which appeared on Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut album, Texas Flood. He would write or co-write several other songs for the younger Vaughan, such as "Life By The Drop" from SRV's The Sky Is Crying album, and he played the drums on the Vaughan Brothers first and final album, Family Style.

Bramhall released his debut solo record in 1994, which included appearances from the Vaughans and his own son, Doyle Bramhall II. He also collaborated with Jennifer Warnes in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he signed with Yep Roc Records and has released two albums on that record label. Bramhall's album Is It News was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 in the genre of best contemporary blues album.
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