Arc Angels
Encyclopedia
Arc Angels are a blues rock band formed in Austin, Texas
in the early 1990s. The band was composed of guitarist and singers Doyle Bramhall II
and Charlie Sexton
and two former members of Stevie Ray Vaughan
's band Double Trouble
, drummer Chris Layton. and bassist Tommy Shannon
. The 'Arc' in the band's name came from the Austin Rehearsal Complex where the band first started jamming.
, Arc Angels
, met with critical approval and reached #127 on the Billboard
chart
. Arc Angels made their network television debut on the NBC
show, Late Night with David Letterman
, on June 9, 1992, performing "Living In A Dream". They performed on the show again on January 6, 1993, this time playing "Too Many Ways to Fall".
Bramhall's heroin addiction and internal friction caused the breakup of the band in 1993. The Arc Angels broke up in October of that year, concluding their run with a series of farewell concerts at Austin's Backyard outdoor venue. Beginning in 2002, the Arc Angels reunited for occasional live performances.
In recent years, Bramhall has played guitar in Eric Clapton
's band and toured with Roger Waters
. Charlie Sexton has toured with Bob Dylan
. Meanwhile, Layton and Shannon have recorded three albums with the Texas soul quintet Storyville
. They have also backed such artists as Buddy Guy
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
and John Mayer
.
In March 2009, the members of Arc Angels, minus Shannon, announced that they would be reuniting, releasing a DVD of concert footage taken during 2005, touring extensively and beginning work on their second album. The DVD contained two new songs. The launch of their tour was at Austin's annual South by Southwest
Festival.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the early 1990s. The band was composed of guitarist and singers Doyle Bramhall II
Doyle Bramhall II
Doyle Bramhall II is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.-Discography:with Arc Angels*Arc Angels...
and Charlie Sexton
Charlie Sexton
Charles Wayne Sexton is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for the 1985 hit Beat's So Lonely and as the guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band from 1999 to 2002 and since 2009...
and two former members of Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
's band Double Trouble
Double Trouble (band)
Double Trouble was the backing rhythm section for Texas blues rock guitarist and lead vocalist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Originally consisting of drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, Reese Wynans would later join the outfit on keyboards.-History:...
, drummer Chris Layton. and bassist Tommy Shannon
Tommy Shannon
Tommy Shannon is an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the blues-rock group Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble and as an early bass player in Johnny Winter's band.-Biography:...
. The 'Arc' in the band's name came from the Austin Rehearsal Complex where the band first started jamming.
History
Their 1992 debut albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Arc Angels
Arc Angels (album)
Arc Angels is the self-titled debut album by The Arc Angels, released in 1992. The album would prove to be one of the most popular blues/rock recordings of the decade as it captured the spirit of the great Stevie Ray Vaughan and managed to hit #127 on the Billboard charts.-Track listing:# "Living...
, met with critical approval and reached #127 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Arc Angels made their network television debut on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show, Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, on June 9, 1992, performing "Living In A Dream". They performed on the show again on January 6, 1993, this time playing "Too Many Ways to Fall".
Bramhall's heroin addiction and internal friction caused the breakup of the band in 1993. The Arc Angels broke up in October of that year, concluding their run with a series of farewell concerts at Austin's Backyard outdoor venue. Beginning in 2002, the Arc Angels reunited for occasional live performances.
In recent years, Bramhall has played guitar in Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's band and toured with Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
. Charlie Sexton has toured with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. Meanwhile, Layton and Shannon have recorded three albums with the Texas soul quintet Storyville
Storyville (band)
Storyville was a blues-rock band formed in 1994 in Austin, Texas, USA. Drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, former members of Arc Angels and the rhythm section for Stevie Ray Vaughan's band Double Trouble, formed the band with Malford Milligan after a jam session at Antone's...
. They have also backed such artists as Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced a rare level of commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.-Biography:Shepherd graduated Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana...
and John Mayer
John Mayer (musician)
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
.
In March 2009, the members of Arc Angels, minus Shannon, announced that they would be reuniting, releasing a DVD of concert footage taken during 2005, touring extensively and beginning work on their second album. The DVD contained two new songs. The launch of their tour was at Austin's annual South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Festival.
Members
- Doyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall II is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.-Discography:with Arc Angels*Arc Angels...
- guitar, vocals - Charlie SextonCharlie SextonCharles Wayne Sexton is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for the 1985 hit Beat's So Lonely and as the guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band from 1999 to 2002 and since 2009...
- guitar, vocals - Chris Layton - drums
- Tommy ShannonTommy ShannonTommy Shannon is an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the blues-rock group Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble and as an early bass player in Johnny Winter's band.-Biography:...
- bass (original) - Mark Newmark - bassist for 2009 reunion
Discography
- Arc AngelsArc Angels (album)Arc Angels is the self-titled debut album by The Arc Angels, released in 1992. The album would prove to be one of the most popular blues/rock recordings of the decade as it captured the spirit of the great Stevie Ray Vaughan and managed to hit #127 on the Billboard charts.-Track listing:# "Living...
(Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, 1992) US #127 - Living in a Dream CD/DVD (2009)