DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- The City of Dallas will hold a dedication ceremony this weekend for a public art project honoring the contributions of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan.
The piece was installed in Kiest Park last year, but the city was not able to hold a dedication at that time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan gained world-wide fame in the 1980's. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released the album Texas Flood in the summer of 1983 which started a string of hit records. Jimmie Vaughan played guitar with The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The band began releasing albums in the late 1970's and gained national radio airplay with several songs from their 1986 album Tuff Enuff.
While both of the Vaughan brothers lived in Austin and regularly played clubs there in the 1970’s, they are originally from Dallas.
"Stevie and Jimmie were both born and raised in Oak Cliff. They grew up near Kiest Park and they got their start playing guitar in bands here when they were 14," said Kirby Warnock, former editor of Buddy Magazine. Warnock worked for years on the project to honor the Vaughan brothers' contribution to music with a public art piece and helped raise money for the project.
"I'm really, really proud the City of Dallas has taken this step, because this will be the first time they've ever honored a musician with a public art work in a public space," he said.
The city selected artist Casto Solano from Spain for the project. His installation features cut-iron displays with images of both Jimmie and Stevie Ray. It was put up in Kiest Park in Dallas last year, but the city was unable to hold a dedication ceremony at that time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a ceremony Sunday at 4:00pm in Kiest Park. The date was chosen as the anniversary of Stevie Ray's birthday. He died in a helicopter crash in August of 1990 in Wisconsin.
Jimmie Vaughan is scheduled to attend Sunday's dedication ceremony.
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