Double Trouble

Although primarily recognized for their role as the late Stevie Ray Vaughan's dependable rhythm section, Double Trouble originated in 1978 as a group of equals. That same year vocalist Lou Ann Barton departed the blues ensemble Triple Threat, where Vaughan played guitar. Joined by bassist Jackie Newhouse and drummer Chris "Whipper" Layton, Vaughan assumed vocal duties, leading the band to take its name from an Otis Rush composition. Bassist Tommy Shannon, who had absorbed the blues during an apprenticeship with Johnny Winter, entered the lineup in 1980. He and Layton then backed Vaughan through the guitarist's swift ascent, beginning with the 1983 debut album Texas Flood and continuing until Vaughan's tragic death in 1990. Shannon and Layton later reunited within the blues-rock supergroup the Arc Angels, which issued a self-titled album in 1992. The pair subsequently worked as an in-demand session team, supporting W.C. Clark, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Doyle Bramhall, and others. During the '90s Shannon and Layton also recorded with the Austin-based blues collective Storyville. For Double Trouble's first album the duo assembled an array of guest stars on vocals and guitar, among them Bramhall, Lou Ann Barton, longtime Vaughan keyboardist Reese Wynans, Jonny Lang, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, and Jimmie Vaughan. The resulting release, Been a Long Time, appeared in early 2001 on the Tone-Cool label.