Winter is best known for his distinct covers of songs like “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer, “Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry, and “Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan, as well as originals like “Still Alive and Well” and “I’m Yours and I’m Hers.” In the 70’s he continued to tour and record, as well as producing albums for another legend in the blues genre, Muddy Waters. That year, he played with idol BB King at the Newport Jazz Festival, and also made an appearance at Woodstock. The album featured Edgar on keyboards, and rose to number 24 on the Top 200.
Winter’s first major release for Columbia, simply titled Johnny Winter, was released in June of 1969. He broke out from the Texas music scene in 1968 when a Rolling Stone magazine article brought him to national prominence, saying he played “some of the gutsiest, fluid blues guitar you ever heard.” The article brought a flood of record deals to the fledgling guitarist’s doorstep, leading to a deal with Columbia for a massive (at the time) $600,000. Johnny’s first major album release was the critically revered The Progressive Blues Experiment.
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Both of the brothers stood out early in the blues/rock music scene for their talented playing at a very young age, as well as their striking platinum hair and light skin due to albinism.
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In remembrance of the legend, here are 10 great tracks from Winter, playable for free on Spotify.īorn John Dawson Winter III in Beaumont, Texas, Johnny was the older brother of Edgar Winter, another renowned guitar player. Winter’s last performance was at the Cahors Blues Festival in France on Monday.We will remember Johnny Winter for his incredible talent, his gracious respect for music and the guitar giants with which he stood shoulder to shoulder, and his indelible touch on the blues. 2. Eric Clapton, Ben Harper and Joe Perry of Aerosmith are among the famed musicians who collaborated with Winter for it.Īlso read: Kurt Cobain Working on Solo Album Before Death, Hole Guitarist Says His latest album, “Step Back,” is set to be released on Sept. He continued to tour, and made a string of blues-focused albums for smaller labels through the ’80s, ’90s and later. He later produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for his blues idol, Muddy Waters, while releasing a number of his own albums, including “Still Alive and Well,” “Saints & Sinners” and “John Dawson Winter III. While his brother Edgar Winter enjoyed more success on the charts with songs like the instrumental “Frankenstein,” Johnny Winter’s 1970 album “Johnny Winter And” produced a hit in the Rick Derringer song “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” On the whole, though, he was less interested in pop hits than in playing the blues, and his career was sidelined by a heroin addiction in the early ’70s. His second album for the label, “Second Winter,” produced another colorful rave in Rolling Stone, with Lester Bangs calling it “an unrelenting floodtide of throbbing, burning sound, a work of folk art which captures the tradition of blues and rock from the prehistoric Delta bottleneck sundown moans to the white-hot metal pyrotechnics of today and tomorrow.” He formed his first band at the age of 11, made his first record at 15 and became the protégé of a Zydeco bluesman named Clarence “Bon Ton” Garlow.Īlso read: Jeff Hanneman, Slayer Guitarist, Dead at 49īy the time he was 24 Winter had become a legend in Texas music circles, and his national profile was boosted immeasurably by a Rolling Stone article about the music scene in the state that called him “the hottest item outside of Janis Joplin.” It went on to describe Winter this way: “If you can imagine a 130-pound cross-eyed albino bluesman with long fleecy hair playing some of the gutsiest fluid blues guitar you have ever heard, then enter Johnny Winter.”Ī bidding war ensued, with Columbia Records signing Winter. He played clarinet as a child - but after a dentist told him the instrument was giving him a bad overbite, he shifted to ukulele and then guitar.
Winter, ranked by Rolling Stone as the 63rd greatest guitarist of all time, was born in Beaumont, Texas in 1944. Evidence suggests his death was medically related. See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2014Īccording a police spokeswoman Reuters spoke to, a prosecutor has ordered an autopsy because the cause of death is not clear, but there was no indication of third-party involvement. “An official statement with more details shall be issued at the appropriate time.” “His wife, family and bandmates are all saddened by the loss of their loved one and one of the world’s finest guitarists,” a brief statement on his Facebook read. Johnny Winter, a legendary blues guitarist, was found dead in his hotel in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday.
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