Blues Search Engine: Maurice John Vaughn

Maurice John Vaughn was born in Chicago in 1958. Maurice John Vaughn, began his musical career while attending Juliet Low grade school on Chicago's South Side, playing drums, guitar and clarinet in the school band. He moved on to playing in various Top 40 cover bands. In 1968, he concentrated on the saxophone in order to join a local jazz trio. He made his very first recording with an R&B group called the Chosen Few for Chi-Sound records in 1976. But soon after that the saxophone jobs were drying up, so Maurice John Vaughn turned his attention to his guitar. Echoes of Albert King, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker and B.B. King can be heard in Maurice John Vaughn's unique guitar style. In 1979, Maurice John Vaughn entered the blues world after Phil Guy -- brother of legendary guitarist Buddy Guy and a guitarist and bandleader in his own right -- sat in with Maurice John Vaughn's soul band which was playing behind Professor Eddie Lusk. After the gig, Phil Guy invited Maurice John Vaughn and band to join him for an upcoming Canadian tour. Soon Maurice John Vaughn was playing with the top Chicago blues talents: Luther Allison, Son Seals (with whom he toured Europe) and A.C. Reed (whose Alligator recording, I'm In The Wrong Business!, features Vaughn on guitar). Maurice John Vaughn's musical vision and self-guided career helped land him with Alligator Records. In 1986, Maurice John Vaughn played, produced, recorded and financed his own solo album: Generic Blues Album. On the strength of this recording, Alligator president Bruce Iglauer invited Maurice John Vaughn into the studio to cut a track for The New Bluebloods compilation album. Alligator then worked out a distribution deal for Generic Blues Album with Maurice John Vaughn, reissuing the album with an additional track. Guitar World declared, "Blues album of the year!"