Live at Carnegie Hall documents a special moment in the life and career of Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had turned 30 years old the night before and - as the last notes of "Rude Mood" rang in the air - call this celebratody performance "my best birthday ever ... forever."

On May 11. 1995, an all-star collection of blues talent gathered on the Austin City Limits Sound Stage in Austin, Texas to pay tribute to the memory of one of their own--Steve Ray Vaughan, the legendary Texas blues guitarist who died tragically five years before. Organized by Stevie's brother and fellow axeman, Jimmy Vaughan, the concert featured Stevie's friends, peers and heroes singing his praises--both through their spoken comments and with their electrifying interpretations of Stevie Ray's songs. In addition to Jimmy Vaughan and members of his band, participating musicians included the cream of the current blues establishment: BB King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Art Neville, and Bonnie Raitt, plus the former Double Trouble rhythm section of Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. Ironically, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan all played on the concert-closing jam on August 26, 1990 which was Stevie Ray Vaughan's last live performance before his tragic death in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin. Each artists chose and performed songs from the repertoire of Steve Ray Vaughan's eight highly-acclaimed Epic albums including the Vaughan Brothers collaboration "Family Style," recorded shortly before Stevie's death. In the stunning concert finale, all the performers took the stage for "Six Strings Down"--a moving tribute to Stevie found on Jimmy Vaughan's solo album "Strange Pleasure." All joined in for the chorus: Heavens done called another blues stringer back home. This was later followed by an completely unrehearsed extended blues jam, now called "SRV Blues" in which the entire ensemble traded exhilarating blues riffs as if each player was possessed by the spirit of Stevie himself. Jimmy Vaughan sums up the triumphant concert this way: "These people were Stevie's heroes and friends. He loved all these guys and looked up to them. Without them, there is no tribute. Doing this has been in the back of my mind for a long time," he explains, "But I wanted it to be far enough removed from Stevie's passing so that it could be a happy, celebratory event." Somewhere, Stevie Ray Vaughan is smiling his approval.