Christopher Layton (born November 16, 1955), also known as "Whipper", is an American drummer who rose to fame as one of the founding members of Double Trouble, a

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

band led by

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

. Born and raised in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, Layton moved to

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

in 1975 and joined the band

Greezy Wheels Greezy Wheels is an Austin, Texas-based progressive country band that formed in the 1970s. They played more frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters than any other band in the history of the venue. They are regarded as the Armadillo house ...

. He later joined Vaughan's band Double Trouble in 1978. After forming successful partnerships with bandmates

Tommy Shannon Tommy Shannon (born Thomas Lafitte Smedley; April 18, 1946) is an American bass guitarist, who is best known as a member of Double Trouble, a blues rock band led by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Shannon moved to Dumas, Texas whe ...

and

Reese Wynans Reese Wynans (born November 28, 1947) is an American keyboard player, who has done session work and has been a member of Double Trouble and progressive rock band Captain Beyond. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a ...

, Double Trouble recorded and performed with Vaughan until his death in 1990. Layton and Shannon later formed supergroups such as the

Arc Angels Arc Angels is a Blues rock supergroup formed in Austin, Texas in the early 1990s. The band came together after the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan and was composed of Vaughan’s friends Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton and two of the band memb ...

, Storyville, and Grady. Layton is the drummer for the

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues artist. Life and career Shepherd wa ...

Band.

Early life and career

Layton was born in Corpus Christi,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. During his childhood, he lived in

Mathis, Texas Mathis is a city in San Patricio County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,942 at the 2010 census. History In 1887, when the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was laying tracks across San Patricio County, Thomas H. Mathis received n ...

, a small community where his father owned a car dealership. After hearing

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighte ...

's version of " The Twist", Layton became fascinated with playing the drums. He moved back to Corpus Christi and acquired his first drum set at the age of 13. Layton graduated from W. B. Ray High School, where he was part of the school band. After attending

Del Mar College Del Mar College (DMC) is a public community college in Corpus Christi, Texas. Founded in 1935, DMC encompasses two primary campuses and one campus annex with combined physical assets of more than $99 million. As defined by the Texas Legislature ...

in Corpus Christi, Layton moved to Austin on December 18, 1975, joining the band

Double Trouble and later career

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble (1983 publicity photo by Don Hunstein)

Layton's roommate, sax player Joe Sublett, recalls how Layton met

: On September 10, 1978, Layton joined Vaughan in Double Trouble, taking the name from a song by

Otis Rush Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s art ...

. After

replaced Newhouse in 1981, Double Trouble performed at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

in July 1982, where its performance caught the attention of

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

. The band's debut album, '' Texas Flood'' (1983), was recorded in Browne's studio and became a commercial success. The album was produced by John H. Hammond and sold more than half a million copies by the end of the year. Layton would continue to record and perform with Vaughan and Double Trouble until Vaughan's death on August 27, 1990. He said of Vaughan's death: "Stevie meant everything to me musically. His death was the worst thing that ever happened to me." Layton and Shannon went on to form the

in 1990, with guitarists

Doyle Bramhall II Doyle Bramhall II (born December 24, 1968) is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall. Early life Bramhall was born ...

and

Charlie Sexton Charles Wayne Sexton (born August 11, 1968) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Sexton is best known for his years as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band, though also has become well known as a music producer. Sexton co-founded the Ar ...

. In 1994, they formed Storyville with

David Lee Holt David Lee Holt (born December 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is best known for being a member of the Austin-based group, Storyville, which included guitarist David Grissom, vocalist Malford Milligan, and Stevie R ...

David Grissom David Grissom is an American guitarist who has played and toured with several of America's leading bands and recording artists. He is best known for his work with John Mellencamp. He has released four solo albums: ''Loud Music'', ''10,000 Feet ...

, and singer

Malford Milligan Malford Milligan (born March 29, 1959) is an American singer. He sings soul, blues and gospel songs and also writes music. He has won 8 Austin Music Awards for Best Vocalist. Career Storyville In 1994 Milligan became the singer for Storyville ...

. Layton and Shannon played on the 1994 album ''Something Inside of Me'' by

Little Jimmy King Emmanuel Lynn Gales (December 4, 1964 – July 19, 2002), known professionally as Little Jimmy King, was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. A left-handed guitarist who played the instrument upside down, he concocted hi ...

. Layton appeared with Shannon in a tribute to Vaughan broadcast on ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...

'' in 1995. Layton and Shannon also released their first solo album, ''Been a Long Time'' (2001), and featured many special guests such as

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

. In 2003, Layton formed Grady with leader Gordie (Grady) Johnson, and has worked with many other artists including

Jonny Lang Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has made five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and has w ...

Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...

, and

Susan Tedeschi Susan Tedeschi (; born November 9, 1970) is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks’ and other musicians. Early li ...

. Layton is a longtime user of Ludwig drums,

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

cymbals and Vater drumsticks.

Discography

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

* '' Texas Flood'' (1983) * ''

Couldn't Stand the Weather ''Couldn't Stand the Weather'' is the second studio album by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. It was released on May 15, 1984, by Epic Records as the follow-up to the band's critically and commercially successful 19 ...

'' (1984) * '' Soul to Soul'' (1985) * ''

Live Alive ''Live Alive'' is the first live album compiled from four live performances by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. The performances were recorded on July 15, 1985 at the Montreux Jazz Festival; July 17–18, 1986 at the Austin Opera House; a ...

'' (1986) * ''

In Step ''In Step'' is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title ''In Step'' can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Va ...

'' (1989) * '' The Sky Is Crying'' (1991) * '' In the Beginning'' (1992) * ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (1995) * ''A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan'' (1996) * '' Live at Carnegie Hall'' (1997) * '' The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 2'' (1999) * ''Blues at Sunrise'' (2000) * ''SRV: Box Set'' (2000) * ''

Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985 ''Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985'' is the fourth live album of American blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 17, 1982 (Disc 1) and July 15, 1985 (Disc 2), and released Novem ...

'' (2001) * ''

The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble ''The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble'' is a compilation album of material by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 2002 (see 2002 in music). The album was released by Epic Records and includes songs from 1980 to ...

'' (2002) * ''Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan'' (2003) * ''The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 1'' (2006) * ''Solos, Sessions & Encores'' (2007) * ''Couldn't Stand the Weather'' (Legacy Edition) (2010) * ''Texas Flood'' (Legacy Edition) (2013)

Arc Angels

* ''

'' ( Geffen, 1992) * ''Living in a Dream'' (2009)

Storyville

* ''Bluest Eyes'' (November Records, 1994) * ''A Piece of Your Soul'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1996) * ''Dog Years'' (Atlantic, 1998) * ''Live at Antone's'' (2007)

Citations

References

* * *

External links

Chris Layton on Drummerworld.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Chris 1955 births American rock drummers Atlantic Records artists Double Trouble (band) members Epic Records artists Geffen Records artists Grammy Award winners Living people People from Corpus Christi, Texas Stevie Ray Vaughan 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American blues drummers