PaperDog wrote:J-HALEY wrote:PaperDog wrote:I am honored to say I had the distinct privilege of drinking beers and chatting with Stevie on many occasions, long before he made it big... He and Double trouble used to gig At Rockerfellers on Washington St, (I worked the Equinox Play theater across the street.) in Houston during the very early 80's. I was in my 20's. RIP Stevie! (And thanks for the guitar advice!)
Grant, I will forever envy you! 
You Know whats funny? During that time, I knew that he kicked ass on the guitar and as a performer, but I never would have guessed him making it to legendary status...He was just a regular guy... And most important, its how he viewed himself... He was 'one of the guys...' as far as he was concerned. (Pretty humble and not above anybody... in the grand scheme)
I used to book him into Beaumont in the late 70s/early 80s at a few clubs. My brother thought he was going to be big time but I didn't think blues would ever break into mainstream rock again. Jimmy Vaughn is a better guitarist, but I don't think anyone ever played guitar with more passion than Stevie.
He probably wouldn't have made it big if David Bowie had not hired him to play on "Let's Dance" "Little China Girl" and "Modern Love". Bowie then offered him $350 per concert to tour 11 dates. What a cheapskate!?!
You are right about him being a humble guy, though. Even after becoming a super-star he was the same down-to-earth guy from Oak Cliff. The last time I saw him was at his High School reunion, (1987?) which featured him and BW Stevenson along with several other Dallas bands.