SOUL ΤΟ SOUL

IN THE STUDIO, NO ONE WAS CLOSER TO STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN THAN HIS HANDPICKED PRODUCER/ENGINEER, RICHARD MULLEN. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FROM 2003, MULLEN DETAILS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SRV AND HOW HE CAPTURED THE OTHERWORLDLY GUITAR SOUNDS ON TEXAS FLOOD AND COULDN'T STAND THE WEATHER

- RICHARD MULLEN

"IF YOU GOT while he was doing his close enough to Stevie thing, it was almost like he was in a trance, like something else was playing through him." The late producer/engineer Richard Mullen - the man behind the boards for Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand the Weather, Soul to Soul, In Step, The Sky Is Crying and Live at Carnegie Hall - was well-equipped to speak about the power and glory of Stevie Ray Vaughan. "On the spot, Stevie could play things that he'd never done before, like he was tapped into a higher plane. His level of precision and expertise was flawless.

In this rare 2003 interview, Mullen describes his approach to recording Stevie, as well as their close working relationship over the course of SRV's life.

A guitarist and pedal steel player, Mullen (1953-2019) moved to Austin in the early Seventies, and in 1976 connected with a young SRV, initiating a fruitful relationship that lasted throughout Stevie's career.

In conversation, Mullen's respect and admiration for Stevie's artistry is overflowing. "He played on at least a 95 to 98 percent level of perfection all the time. In the studio, whether he would bring it' was not even an issue. He was fearless when it came to playing, and he always played well." Regarding Texas Flood and Couldn't Stand the Weather, Mullen says, "Every take was based on Stevie's performance; if he exploded on the track, that's the one we used. On every record I made with him, the final product consisted primarily of live takes, which is something above and beyond what most musicians are capable of."

How did you first meet Stevie?