Johnny Winter | |
|---|---|
 Winter in 1990 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | John Dawson Winter III (1944-02-23)February 23, 1944 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 16, 2014(2014-07-16) (aged 70) nearZürich, Switzerland |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1959–2014 |
| Labels | |
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer.[2] Winter was known for his high-energyblues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1960s into the early 2000s. He also produced threeGrammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitaristMuddy Waters. After his time with Waters, Winter recorded several Grammy-nominated blues albums. In 1988, he was inducted into theBlues Foundation Hall of Fame and in 2003, he was ranked 63rd inRolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[3]
Johnny Winter was born inBeaumont, Texas, on February 23, 1944.[4] He and his younger brotherEdgar Winter (born 1946) were nurtured at an early age by their parents in musical pursuits.[4] Both were born withalbinism. Their father,Leland, Mississippi native John Dawson Winter Jr. (1909–2001), was also a musician who played saxophone and guitar and sang at churches, weddings, Kiwanis and Rotary Club gatherings. Johnny and his brother began performing at an early age. When Winter was ten years old, the brothers appeared on a local children's show with Johnny playing ukulele.
His recording career began at the age of 15, when his band Johnny and the Jammers released "School Day Blues" on a Houston record label.[4] During that same period, he was able to see performances by classic blues artists such as Muddy Waters,B.B. King, andBobby Bland. In the early days, Winter would sometimes sit in withRoy Head and the Traits when they performed in the Beaumont area, and in 1967, Winter recorded a single with the Traits: "Tramp" backed with "Parchman Farm" (Universal Records 30496). In 1968, his first albumThe Progressive Blues Experiment, was released on Austin'sSonobeat Records.
Winter got his biggest break in December 1968, whenMike Bloomfield, whom he met and jammed with in Chicago, invited him to sing and play a song during a Bloomfield andAl Kooper concert at theFillmore East in New York City. As it happened, representatives ofColumbia Records (which had released the Top Ten Bloomfield/Kooper/StillsSuper Session album) were at the concert. Winter played and sang B.B. King's "It's My Own Fault" to loud applause, and within a few days, was signed to what was reportedly the largest advance in the history of the recording industry at that time—$600,000.[4]
Winter's first Columbia album,Johnny Winter, was recorded and released in 1969.[5] It featured the same backing musicians with whom he had recordedThe Progressive Blues Experiment, bassistTommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner, plus Edgar Winter on keyboards and saxophone on 2 tracks, and (for his "Mean Mistreater")Willie Dixon on upright bass andBig Walter Horton on harmonica. The album featured a few selections that became Winter signature songs, including his song "Dallas" (an acoustic blues, on which Winter played a steel-bodied,resonator guitar),John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl", and B.B. King's "Be Careful with a Fool".[5]
The album's success coincided withImperial Records picking upThe Progressive Blues Experiment for wider release.[6] The same year, the Winter trio toured and performed at several rock festivals, includingWoodstock.[6] With brother Edgar added as a full member of the group, Winter also recorded his second album,Second Winter, in Nashville in 1969.[7] The two-disc album only had three recorded sides (the fourth was blank). It introduced more staples of Winter's concerts, includingChuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" andBob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited".[7] Johnny entered into a short-lived affair withJanis Joplin, which culminated at a concert at New York'sMadison Square Garden, where Johnny joined her on stage to sing and perform.[4]
Contrary tourban legend, Johnny Winter did not perform withJimi Hendrix andJim Morrison on the infamous 1968 Hendrix bootleg albumWoke up this Morning and Found Myself Dead from New York City'sthe Scene club. According to Winter, "I never even met Jim Morrison! There's a whole album of Jimi and Jim and I'm supposedly on the album but I don't think I am 'cause I never met Jim Morrison in my life! I'm sure I never, never played with Jim Morrison at all! I don't know how that [rumor] got started."[8]
Beginning in 1969, the first of numerous Johnny Winter albums was released which were cobbled together from approximately fifteen singles (about 30 "sides") he recorded before signing with Columbia in 1969.[4] Many were produced byRoy Ames, owner of Home Cooking Records/Clarity Music Publishing, who had briefly managed Winter. According to an article from theHouston Press, Winter left town for the express purpose of getting away from him. Ames died on August 14, 2003, of natural causes at age 66. As Ames left no obvious heirs, the ownership rights of the Ames master recordings remain unclear. As Winter stated in an interview when the subject of Roy Ames came up, "This guy has screwed so many people it makes me mad to even talk about him."
In 1970, when his brother Edgar released a solo albumEntrance and formed Edgar Winter's White Trash, anR&B/jazz-rock group, the original trio disbanded.[6] Johnny Winter then formed a new band with the remnants ofthe McCoys—guitaristRick Derringer, bassistRandy Jo Hobbs, and drummer Randy Z (who was Derringer's brother, their family name being Zehringer). Originally to be called "Johnny Winter and the McCoys", the name was shortened to "Johnny Winter And", which was also the name of theirfirst album.[4] The album included Derringer's "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" and signaled a more rock-oriented direction for Winter.[9] When Johnny Winter And began to tour, Randy Z was replaced with drummerBobby Caldwell. Their mixture of the new rock songs with Winter's blues songs was captured on the live albumLive Johnny Winter And. It included a new performance of "It's My Own Fault", the song which brought Winter to the attention of Columbia Records.
Winter's momentum was throttled when he sank intoheroin addiction during the Johnny Winter And days. After he sought treatment for and recovered from the addiction, Winter was put in front of the music press by managerSteve Paul to discuss the addiction candidly.[4] By 1973, he returned to the music scene with the release ofStill Alive and Well, a basic blend of blues and hard rock, whose title track was written by Rick Derringer. His comeback concert at Long Island, New York'sNassau Coliseum featured the "And" line-up minus Rick Derringer and Bobby Caldwell. Also performing on stage was Johnny's wife Susie.Saints & Sinners andJohn Dawson Winter III, two albums released in 1974, continue in the same direction.[10] In 1975, Johnny returned to Bogalusa, Louisiana, to produce an album for Thunderhead, a Southern rock band which included Pat Rush and Bobby "T" Torello, who would later play with Winter.[11] A second live Winter album,Captured Live!, was released in 1976 and features an extended performance of "Highway 61 Revisited".[12]
In live performances, Winter often told the story about how, as a child, he dreamed of playing with the blues guitaristMuddy Waters. He got his chance in 1974, when blues artists came together to honor Waters, the musician responsible for bringing blues to Chicago; the resulting concert presented many blues classics and was the start of a TV series,Soundstage (this particular session was called "Blues Summit in Chicago"). And in 1977, after Waters' long-time labelChess Records went out of business,[4] Winter brought Waters into the studio to recordHard Again forBlue Sky Records, a label set up by Winter's manager and distributed by Columbia.[13] In addition to producing the album, Winter played guitar with Waters veteranJames Cotton on harmonica. Winter produced two more studio albums for Waters,I'm Ready (with Big Walter Horton on harmonica) andKing Bee and a best-selling live albumMuddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live.[13] The partnership produced threeGrammy Awards for Waters and an additional Grammy for Winter's ownNothin' But the Blues, with backing by members of Waters' band. Waters toldDeep Blues authorRobert Palmer that Winter had done remarkable work in reproducing the sound and atmosphere of Waters's vintageChess Records recordings of the 1950s. AllMusic writer Mark Deming noted: "BetweenHard Again andThe Last Waltz [1976 concert film byThe Band], Waters enjoyed a major career boost, and he found himself touring again for large and enthusiastic crowds".[13]
In 1996, Winter and his brother Edgar filed suit againstDC Comics and the creators of theJonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such limited series, claiming, among other things,defamation: two characters named Johnny and Edgar Autumn in the series strongly resemble the Winters. The brothers claimed the comics falsely portrayed them as "vile, depraved, stupid, cowardly, subhuman individuals who engage in wanton acts of violence, murder and bestiality for pleasure and who should be killed."[14] The California Supreme Court sided with DC Comics, holding that the comic books were deserving of First Amendment protection.[15]
After his time with Blue Sky Records, Winter began recording for several labels, includingAlligator,Pointblank, andVirgin, where he focused on blues-oriented material.[4] In 2004, he received aGrammy Award nomination for hisI'm a Bluesman album. Beginning in 2007, a series of live Winter albums titled theLive Bootleg Series anda live DVD all entered the Top 10Billboard Blues chart. In 2009,The Woodstock Experience album was released, which includes eight songs that Winter performed at the 1969 festival. In 2011, Johnny Winter releasedRoots onMegaforce Records. It includes Winter's interpretation of eleven early blues and rock 'n' roll classics and features several guest artists (Vince Gill,Sonny Landreth,Susan Tedeschi, Edgar Winter,Warren Haynes, andDerek Trucks). His last studio album,Step Back (which features appearances byJoe Bonamassa,Eric Clapton,Billy Gibbons,Leslie West,Brian Setzer,Dr. John,Paul Nelson,Ben Harper andJoe Perry), was released on September 2, 2014. Nelson and Winter won a Grammy Award in the Best Blues Album category forStep Back in 2015. Nelson said Winter knew it was an award winner and Winter told him "If we don't win a Grammy for this, they're nuts."[16]
Winter continued to perform live, including at festivals throughout North America and Europe. He headlined such prestigious events as theNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,Chicago Blues Festival, the 2009Sweden Rock Festival,the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, andRockpalast. He also performed with theAllman Brothers at theBeacon Theatre in New York City on the 40th anniversary of their debut. In 2007 and 2010, Winter performed atEric Clapton'sCrossroads Guitar Festivals. Two guitar instructional DVDs were produced byCherry Lane Music and theHal Leonard Corporation. TheGibson Guitar Company released the signature Johnny WinterFirebird guitar in a ceremony in Nashville withSlash presenting.
During the time Teddy Slatus was employed as Winter's manager (1984 to 2005) it has been alleged Slatus abused his power and continued to give Wintermethadone to stop him from asking about getting paid. Johnny could barely talk or play anymore untilPaul Nelson took over Johnny's management in 2005, slowly easing him off drugs, alcohol, and smoking.[17][18]
In 1993, Winter married Susan Warford, who died in 2019.[19][20][21]
Winter was professionally active until the time of his death on July 16, 2014, nearZürich, Switzerland.[22] He was found dead in his hotel room two days after his last performance, at theCahors Blues Festival in France.[23] The cause of Winter's death was not officially released.[24] According to his guitarist friend and record producerPaul Nelson, Winter died ofemphysema combined withpneumonia.[25]
Writing inRolling Stone magazine, after Winter's death, David Marchese said, "Winter was one of the first blues rock guitar virtuosos, releasing a string of popular and fiery albums in the late Sixties and early Seventies, becoming an arena-level concert draw in the process" ... [he] "made an iconic life for himself by playing the blues".[26]
Winter is buried atUnion Cemetery (Easton, Connecticut).[27]
Winter produced threeGrammy Award-winning albums byMuddy Waters –Hard Again (1977),I'm Ready (1978), andMuddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live (1979).[28] Several of Winter's own albums were nominated for Grammy Awards –Guitar Slinger (1984) andSerious Business (1985) forBest Traditional Blues Album, andLet Me In (1991) andI'm a Bluesman (2004) forBest Contemporary Blues Album. In 2015, Winter posthumously won theGrammy Award for Best Blues Album forStep Back.[29] The album also won the 2015Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album.[30] At the 18thMaple Blues Awards in 2015, Winter was also posthumously awarded the B.B. King International Artist of The Year Award.[31]
In 1980, Winter was on the cover of the first issue ofGuitar World. In 1988, he was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame, the first non-African-American performer to be inducted into the Hall.[32]
Multiple guitarists have cited Winter as an influence, includingJoe Perry,[33][34]Frank Marino,[35]Michael Schenker,[36]Adrian Smith,[37]Alex Skolnick[38] andBilly Corgan,[39] whose bandThe Smashing Pumpkins released a song titled "Tribute to Johnny".
In her audiobookMay You Live in Interesting Times: A Memoir (2021), comedian and foundingSaturday Night Live cast memberLaraine Newman recounts losing her virginity to Johnny Winter at the age of 17 in the late 1960s.[40]
In 2008, Winter appeared alongside brother Edgar in the documentary filmAmerican Music: Off the Record directed by Benjamin Meade.[41]
Winter played a variety of guitars during his career,[42] but he is probably best known for his use ofGibson Firebirds.[43][44] He owned several, but favored a 1963 Firebird V model. Winter explained:
I still have all six of them ... but that first one [1963] I ever bought is my favorite because I've played it so long and I've gotten used to it. They all sound different, but that one sounds the best. The neck is nice and thin ... there's nothing it can't do. It's a great guitar.[44]
The original Firebird was a departure from Gibson's traditional configuration, with Firebird "sidewinder" pickups in place of the company's standard sizedPAF humbucker orP-90 single-coil pickup models.[43] Later Firebirds used a different (non-sidewinder) design, which may account for Winter's preference for the 1963. Firebird pickups were still different than Gibson's Mini-Humbuckers, but the terminology is often incorrectly mixed. Firebird pickups, by nature of their design, are brighter than Mini-Humbuckers. In a 2014 interview, Winter described the tone:
The Firebird is the best of all worlds. It feels like a Gibson, but it sounds closer to a Fender than most other Gibsons. I was never a big fan of humbucking pickups, but the mini humbuckers on the Firebird have more bite and treble.[45]
In 2008, the Gibson Custom Shop issued a signature Johnny Winter Firebird V[4] in a ceremony in Nashville withSlash presenting.
In 1984,luthier Mark Erlewine approached Winter with his Lazer electric guitar. With its unusual design (for the time) without aheadstock and having a small body, Winter responded immediately: "the first day I plugged it in, it sounded so good that I wanted to use it for a gig that night."[45] He commented:
[The Lazer is] the closest thing I've found to sounding like aStrat and feeling like a Gibson ... Lazer is a bit easier to play than the Firebird. The action is high, but the strings pull easier ... But I still use the Firebird on slide songs; the slide still sounds better on the Firebird.[4]
Other guitars that Winter owned and played include aGibson ES-125 (his first electric guitar), aFender Stratocaster, aGibson Les Paul/SG Custom, aFender Mustang, aGibson Les Paul Goldtop with P-90 pickups, aGibson Flying V, anEpiphone Wilshire, aGibson Black Beauty, aFender Electric XII (strung with only 6 strings), and an acousticNational Resonator.[4][42][44]
Winter played with athumb pick and his fingers.[4] His picking style was inspired byChet Atkins andMerle Travis and he never used aflat pick.[4][46] Winter preferred a plastic thumb pick sold by Gibson[42] and a steel pinky slide, later marketed byDunlop.[4]
Studio albums
Live albums
Johnny always had multiple girlfriends but he told them outright that he couldn't be true to one person. But Susan finally had enough of it. She told him if he didn't marry her and get rid of the girlfriend he had set up in a high-rise apartment in Houston (the woman in the photo), she would leave. They were married in 1993 and had been together for 42 years when he died in July.
