Althouse: "Texas's blues pedigree is unsurpassed. But of all of these bright lights, perhaps the most electrifying, exotic and resilient Texas export is a snowy white guitarist from Beaumont..."

July 17, 2014

"Texas's blues pedigree is unsurpassed. But of all of these bright lights, perhaps the most electrifying, exotic and resilient Texas export is a snowy white guitarist from Beaumont..."

"... whose truth-is-stranger-than-fiction given name is Winter. For well over five decades, John Dawson 'Johnny' Winter III has produced and played on some of the most exciting blues and rock recordings in the history of both genres. His absolute command of traditional music has earned him the respect of serious musicologists, while his tremendous agility, wicked speed and full-tilt aggression on the electric guitar and acoustic bottleneck has won over several generations of younger rock players looking to cop some the fastest and hottest licks ever committed to tape."

Johnny Winter, dead at 70.

21 comments:

Bob said...: Saw him at the top of his game in the early 1980's, and he was actually scheduled to appear in Charlotte later this year. Rest In Peace, Johnny.; 7/17/14, 7:03 AM
Tank said...: One of my guitar heroes. Damn. Back in the 70's there was no one better. I remember seeing him at the Capital in Passaic, NJ. Went in to the Men's room to pee and, oops, people shooting up in there. Yikes, a little to "far out" for Tank. When the show came on, he was the master.

Best tune - Highway 61 by you know who.; 7/17/14, 7:12 AM
Bob R said...: Sad to see him go. One heck of a guitar player.; 7/17/14, 7:15 AM
Wilbur said...: Loved his backing on a Muddy Waters' album back in the 70's.

"Mannish Boy" will never sound the same to me without Johnny's whoops and hollers.; 7/17/14, 8:18 AM
garage mahal said...: He was in pretty rough shape when I saw him play in 2002 at the old Luthers. I was wondering why he was on the road back then. Why was he still touring in such ill health?; 7/17/14, 8:42 AM
Joan said...: Nitpicking here, but "Winter" is not his given name.

A great loss.; 7/17/14, 8:59 AM
Strelnikov said...: Gotta disagree.

Stevie Ray Vaughn could play this guy into the ground.

No pun intended.; 7/17/14, 9:14 AM
Anonymous said...: Any relation to Edgar Winter?; 7/17/14, 9:44 AM
alan markus said...: I play this one extra loud at least 3 times a week:

Johnny Winter - Dust My Broom (featuring Derek Trucks); 7/17/14, 10:01 AM
K in Texas said...: The Golden Triangle (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange) of Southeast TX has produced a lot musicians and song writers - Janice Joplin, Clay Walker, John and Edgar Winter, Marcia Ball, just to name a few.; 7/17/14, 10:02 AM
Fernandinande said...: That's too bad.

I'm a big fan; besides the blues his rock covers were great. Saw him with his miniature guitar in Boulder many moons ago, and that show as non-stop energy.; 7/17/14, 10:19 AM
Stephen Taylor said...: The Triangle, as referred to by the natives, also produced George Jones, bandleader Harry James, Mark Chesnutt and bluesman Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, as well as rapper Bun B.; 7/17/14, 10:48 AM
Tank said...: Strelnikov said...

Gotta disagree.

Stevie Ray Vaughn could play this guy into the ground.

No pun intended.

Just my opinion, but music is not a contest, and when you try to make it one, the music you get is not better music.

SRV was a great guitarist, and so was Johnny. I'm pretty sure that, if they were on stage together, they'd both sound great, and likely feed off each other as many great ones did.; 7/17/14, 10:55 AM
Carol said...: Beaumont was a stop on the Chitlin Circuit. Lots of blues were going down, unrecorded, for decades before the Winters bros came along. It does seem though that the white boys took it to a new level.; 7/17/14, 10:57 AM
Wen said...: White; 7/17/14, 4:01 PM
Danno said...: Thanks for the You-tube link. I saw the headline earlier, but the video brought back great memories. I also played "Rock-n-Roll Hootchie Coo" by Rick Derringer and Johnny's band and Frankenstein by Johhny's brother Edgar while I was reminiscing!; 7/17/14, 4:26 PM
Lnelson said...: When I first heard Winter's version of "Highway 61", it was the best slide guitar I had ever heard at that time.
BTW: A version of Dylan's Highway 61 that didn't make the album does not have the weird whistle, but Bloomfield's awesome slide guitar riffs. I think it is better than the album version with the hokey whistle.; 7/17/14, 6:07 PM
Mark B said...: He looks like Ann Coulter. Kind of.; 7/17/14, 6:17 PM
LYNNDH said...: So young.
I do think that SRV was better, but both GREATS.; 7/17/14, 9:26 PM
Unknown said...: Strelnikov, you really embarrassed Stevie Ray with that comment. Bob, you really embarrassed 1969.

Here's an update: Johnny Winter walked, unaided, through the Pearly Gates late last night. Once he realized he was actually in, he turned and asked brother Pete the exact same, very first question every blues man before him asked on the way in.

"Robert Johnson?"

Pete just shook his head, slow and sad.

Next thing he knew, a rangy young guy with Civil War sideburns and Dingo boots comes strolling around a cloud with a big grin and hands Johnny a glowing, Budweiser-looking crown.

“As I live and breathe!” says Duane (he never got tired of this joke). "King of the White Boy Bluesmen. Man, I been waiting over 40 long years to get rid of this thing. You gonna be waiting a w-h-o-l-e lot longer, John Dawson!” He put his hands on his knees and leaned in covertly. “Could be an E-ter-nity,” and fell out laughing.

“By the way, the Big Man wants to see you."

And suddenly, there He was.

Few men can make their mouths work their first few hours in heaven, and Johnny never was a big talker, even on speed.

"John," He says (He always called him John), you were one of My greatest and most faithful servants. Lord knows, he laughed (He never got tired of this joke), you were my witness in some of the darkest, most pitiless, piss-soaked, cold-hearted, well, god-forsaken corners of my creation.

Johnny blinked.

“Well, in the American regions anyway.”

A group of Tuvan bluesmen standing nearby laughed diplomatically and rolled their eyes.

“Welcome to Heaven, son.”

“Thank you, God,” Johnny said in a high twang.

“Now, sit down, I have a few pronouncements to make.

“Strelnikov shall go to Purgatory, where he will listen to “Be Careful With a Fool” 100,000 times.

“nappy40 shall be set adrift in a sea of tears until he can recite that most perfect music of the spheres ever wrought by man, “Drown in My Own Tears” note for note, in parts both John and Edgar.

Fernandinand, the big fan, shall hear no music but Rare Earth covers of Aerosmith for 100 years.

“Tank, Wilbur, alan markus, K in Colorado, road geek and Larry Nelson, good work, fellas.

“And Duane, you can put the crown back on, son. Pigment ain’t got nothin’ to do with it.”

"Damn."; 7/17/14, 10:16 PM
Jazz Bass said...: "In 1977 Mr. Winter began a series of collaborations with Mr. Waters, producing his album “Hard Again.” That record, and two that followed in the late ’70s, won acclaim for their raw sound, and each won a Grammy Award."

if he'd never played a note, he should be remembered for making those records with Muddy. those are classics. cutting tracks the way they should be cut!; 7/18/14, 12:16 AM