“I could barely play his guitar. He had 12s on the top. It was like a G string. I was like, ‘How do you do that?’”: Huey Lewis and the News' Chris Hayes looks back on his friendship with Stevie Ray Vaughan – and the blues great's notorious guitar setup

Left-Black and white image of Chris Hayes playing guitar on stage; Right-Stevie Ray Vaughan is performing at the Community Center in Sacramento, CA on July 2. 1987.

As the former lead guitarist of Huey Lewis and the News – a bonafide hit machine back in the ’80s and ’90s – Chris Hayes has his fair share of anecdotes from the group's heyday – like writing and recording Workin’ for a Livin’, I Want a New Drug and the Oscar-nominated The Power of Love, and, of course, life on the road. And touring meant rubbing shoulders with a gamut of musicians – including Stevie Ray Vaughan, who happened to be the band's opening act in 1984.

“Stevie Ray Vaughan was great, [who] we toured with for like, a year. Every night, it was like a guitar lesson for me,” he tells Vertex Effects.

Hayes recalls a particular night – about halfway through the tour – which, aided with a bit of liquid courage, helped solidify his friendship with the blues great. “He said, ‘Hey, Chris, come on the bus with me. I want to hang out.’ I went, ‘Great.’ I get to go hang out with Stevie Ray Vaughan. This is freaking awesome.’

“So he kicks all the other guys in the band off the bus, and it's just me and Stevie on the bus, with a bottle of Crown Royal, and we just wrapped it down. Drank that whole bottle of Crown Royal. Of course, he could handle it. I think I was sick as a dog in the morning because it's not the safest thing to drink.”

Hayes recalls how it was such a great time for him because, aside from Vaughan being “kind of one of my heroes,” they both had a deep admiration for Jimi Hendrix. As he summarizes that experience, “That night on the bus with him, that was life-changing for me.”

As for whether he ever tried to play one of SRV's guitars – perhaps even his infamous Number One/First Wife – Hayes responds with a laugh.

“I couldn't play them!” he admits. “He had like, 12s on the top. It was like a G string. I was like, ‘How do you do that?’ Man, he was just so strong – I could barely play his guitar. The lower strings were super [thick] – I mean, they were probably, I don't know, 60s or [something]. It was crazy.”

In an extensive 2023 Guitar World interview, Hayes reflected on his storied career, his jazz beginnings, and how he “just kind of fell into” being part of Huey Lewis’ band.