Double Trouble is an American blues rock band from Austin, Texas, formed by guitarist/singer Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1978. The group was active throughout the 1980s and responsible for reviving the blues, inspiring many later blues and rock musicians. Formed in Austin, Texas, by 1985 the group consisted of Vaughan, Chris Layton (drums), Tommy Shannon (bass), and eventually Reese Wynans (keyboards). While with Vaughan the band was billed Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

The band's desire to experiment grew as they recorded Soul to Soul, beginning in March 1985. Vaughan recalled using two wah-wah pedals for "Say What!", sitting on a stool and working them separately. Parts of the album featured work by Joe Sublett, Doyle Bramhall and Reese Wynans, who was hired as the band's keyboardist. The group's cocaine use increased however, especially Vaughan's, as witnessed by Bramhall, who recalled seeing "mounds of cocaine on top of the organ". He said of Vaughan's cocaine use: "Where I was doing a lot, Stevie was doing five times, ten times more than I was doing." Nearly 800 minutes of the studio recordings were devoted to the sessions and leaked into the collector's market. Released in September, Soul to Soul received mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented, "For all of its positive attributes, Soul to Soul winds up being less than the sum of its parts, and it's hard to pinpoint an exact reason why. Perhaps it was because Vaughan was on the verge of a horrible battle with substance abuse at the time of recording or perhaps it just has that unevenness inherent in transitional albums."  In July 1986, the band recorded three shows in Austin and Dallas for a live album, later released as Live Alive. One month later, Vaughan learned that his father was hospitalized for an illness, and flew to his hometown of Dallas to be with his family; he died three days later from complications associated with asbestos. After attending his funeral, Vaughan immediately flew to Montreal for a performance in Jarry Park, which was reportedly the highest paying show for the band at the time. A fan recalls the Montreal concert: "He played for a solid two hours and never said a word to the crowd until he came back for an encore and said, 'This one's for you, daddy.' I was in the front row that night, and many times during the set he was crying while playing. I will never forget that performance."  During a tour of Europe a month later, Vaughan was hospitalized in Ludwigshafen for near-death dehydration from years of alcohol and substance abuse. After two weeks of treatment in London, he checked into Peachford Hospital in Atlanta and spent a month in rehabilitation, emerging fully recovered and healthy; he would often attend local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings on tour. Vaughan rejoined with Double Trouble to tour in support of Live Alive for the next two years, visiting countries such as England, Italy, and Germany. The band also performed at the inaugural party for President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C.

Did he play Soul to Soul?
Released in September, Soul to Soul received mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented,