Doyle Bramhall (February 17, 1949 – November 12, 2011) was
an American singer-songwriter and drummer, closely associated with the music
of Austin.
Bramhall joined The Chessmen with Jimmie Vaughan while in high school. The
group opened for Jimi Hendrix when he played Dallas. In 1969, he moved to
Austin and formed Texas Storm with Jimmie Vaughan. In the 1970s, Bramhall
formed The Nightcrawlers with Marc Benno, which also included Jimmie
Vaughan's younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar. While in The
Nightcrawlers, Bramhall co-wrote the tune "Dirty Pool," which appeared on
Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut album, Texas Flood. He would write or co-write
several other songs for the younger Vaughan, such as "Life By The Drop" from
SRV's The Sky Is Crying album, and he played the drums on the Vaughan
Brothers only album, Family Style.
Bramhall released his debut solo record in 1994, which included appearances
from the Vaughans and his own son. He also collaborated with Jennifer Warnes
in the 1990s.
Bramhall died on November 12, 2011. He died of heart failure in his sleep,
on Saturday night, at home in Alpine, Texas, at the age of 62. He reportedly
had been suffering from pneumonia in recent days.