Stevie Ray Vaughan Joins Joe Cocker For Bob Dylan’s “Watching The River Flow”

Joe Gets By With A Little Help From His Friends

From B.B. King to David Bowie and now, English soul singer and Woodstock alumni Joe Cocker, it seems like there isn’t a single artist in recent history whose life wasn’t touched by late guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan. Just a month before his death, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble embarked on a summer tour with Joe Cocker that was highlighted by performances like this one; explosive opening sets by Stevie that flowed right into yet another round of career defining performances by Joe, and dynamic encore performances that featured everyone on the tour on the same stage at the same time, and this night on the tour was no different.

Fun Fact: Despite being an opener on his tour with Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan proved to be the tour’s breakout star.

Written in 1971, Bob Dylan’s “Watching The River Flow” ” has been described by different critics as a “Blues-powered sound”, featuring some “blistering guitar work and rollicking piano work,” and as “an energetic, funky-gospel rocker” and when performed by these two powerhouses, “Watching The River Flow” is absolutely electric.

Joe’s vocal power has been unmatched since that balmy Sunday in August 1969 when he blew away a sea of tie-dye clad youths with his rendition of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends”; when paired with Stevie’s blistering brand of Texas blues guitar playing, this Bob Dylan classic becomes the barn burner of a song we always knew it was!