Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Touching Tribute “Life Without You” Will Leave You Misty Eyed

Stevie Salutes Fallen Friend, Charley Wirz

In 1985, Stevie Ray Vaughan closed out the New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre’s 15 year run with the slow, soulful ‘Life Without You’ – a song written earlier that year in honor of Stevie’s good friend Charley Wirz, who passed away unexpectedly that year. The venue would close just a few weeks after Stevie took his last bow that evening – what better way to say goodbye to an era than with a song like ‘Life Without You’?

Charley Wirz founded Charley’s Guitar Shop in Dallas in 1976, and worked on Vaughan’s guitars early in the bluesman’s career. They remained good friends until Charley’s death in 1985.

Written about that final conversation with someone who’s gone on to the other side of the rainbow, ‘Life Without You’ contains all of the passion and raw emotion that we’re used to hearing from Stevie Ray Vaughan, but there’s something really private about this that makes you feel like you’ve suddenly intruded on a private conversation between Stevie and Charley. In fact, all of Stevie’s usual stage theatrics – playing behind his head and back, with his teeth – seem like they’re much more for Charley than they are for the rest of us!

+ Life Without You lyrics +

Oh now baby tell me how have you been?
We all have missed you and the way you grin
The day is necessary every now and then
For souls to move on givin’ life back again and again

Fly on, fly on, fly on my friend
Go on live again, love again

Day after day, night after night
Sittin’ here singin’ every minute as the years go passing by, by, by, by
Long look in the mirror we’ve come face to face
Wishin’ all the love we took for granted love we have today

Life without you all the love you passed my way
The angels have waited for so long now they have their way
Take your place