Eddie Cochran, Oct. 3, 1938 — April 17, 1960
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Oct. 3, 1954 — Aug. 27, 1990
Lindsey Buckingham, Oct. 3, 1949 —

An early rocker,
Texas blues man, latter-day
Beach Boy born today

Some days have a thread
Running through them, in this case
It’s a guitar string

Eddie Cochran lived
Long enough to write such hits
As “Summertime Blues”

He played in movies,
Overdubbed and multitracked
He was “Somethin’ Else”

Death premonitions
After Buddy, Big Bopper
Richie Valens crash

Wrote “Three Stars” tribute
To those fallen friends, didn’t
Live to see release

While touring England
He died in a taxi wreck
At age 21

Helicopter crash
Claimed another guitar man
Texas’ “Stevie Ray”

Stephen Ray Vaughan rocked
The blues several years before
He hit the big time

Played in high school bands,
Flunked music theory, dropped out
Hit the road full time

In the Nightcrawlers,
Triple Threat, Double Trouble
He drew attention

But no record deal
Would come Stevie Ray’s way till
1983

His intensity
Finally reached wide audience
“Texas Flood” hit big

Cocaine, Crown Royal
Don’t mix well, though; Stevie Ray
Had double trouble

Studio records
Never lived up to live ones
He struggled with that

And in ’86
Stevie Ray Vaughan damn near died
He had to clean up

His comeback was good
Sometimes with brother Jimmie
And bigger-name stars

But foggy mountain
Added him to the long list
Of rockers snuffed out

There’s one still picking
Though he seldom uses picks
Lindsey Buckingham

A certain genius
Winding, intricate pop from
Brian Wilson’s muse

High school, Stevie Nicks
Bet she was a real vision
Edge of 17

Career exploded
In Fleetwood Mac, millions sold
Two No. 1 discs

Rumours’ catchiness
Sprawl of Tusk let him branch out
Do his tall-grass stuff

But impermanence
Like imperfection is part
Of all things human

Lindsey and Stevie
Dissolved, as did the great group;
Re-formed, time to time

He goes his own way
Quirky solo work, “Trouble”
To new “Seeds We Sow”

Not bad for a guy
Who never took lessons, still
Doesn’t read music