From rocket science to hard rock: Chicagoan Edward Vaughn launches music career as Rockstar E.V.

CHICAGO -- He will impress you by shredding his guitar with ease and then playing it with his teeth!

Talented guitarist Edward Vaughn V hails from Chicago's South Side and went from a rocket science degree to rock star dreams.

Born and raised in Englewood, considered a tough Chicago neighborhood, Edward, aka 'Rockstar E.V.' graduated valedictorian from Leo Catholic High School.

He recently visited the school to talk to the students about his journey.

"I'm from the block, I'm not hood, but at the end of the day I'm from the block, so don't let any of that stop you," he said.

His Leo math teacher said: "Edward went to the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and got an aerospace engineering degree, but we were very proud of him, we still are."

Although Vaughn excelled and enjoyed math, his passion is music. He talks about how his dashed hopes of being a Jesse White tumbler became a 'lemons into lemonade' experience.

Edward's mom remembers how badly he broke his ankle doing flips and could not try out for the team--which meant home confinement. Stuck at home for weeks only gave Edward extra time to play Guitar Hero and from there "practice 5-7 hours a day" with his guitar.

"I was starting to get really good at it in a couple months," Edward recalled. "I played this crazy Steve Vi solo, and I said, 'Wow! You really just did that!'"

That was the moment Edward knew he wanted to be a rock star. And what Edward does on guitar stands out.

"I do think I'm trailblazing my own lane because not a lot of people are fusing that fast, shreddy 80s style music with any type of R&B," he explained.

His ultimate goal is to be on stage with a big name artist like Travis Scott.

"I actually want to flame throw a guitar and when he's doing his rap stuff, I just have a flame going up the top of my guitar," he said. "I think that would be super cool."

Currently Edward is in IT as a network engineer while also pursuing his music.

"So basically I'm fusing my love of tech, the math skills, with my love of music," he said.

Edward shared a few final words of wisdom for his Leo High School students: "We're always starting behind the starting line, from the area we grew up in, to the resources we have, to the people that we know, you just got to believe in yourself. It sounds cliché, I get it, talk to yourself nicely, take your time, but definitely whatever you're thinking about achieving, go crazy."

Edward plays publicly, does private events and does studio session work.

If you want to see more of Rockstar E.V.'s music or book him for a private or public event, he is available on Instagram @rockstar.ev or at EdwardVaughnV@gmail.com.