Johnny Winter

Johnny Winter - American blues/rock musician

Person from United States

Genres: blues, blues rock, boogie rock, chicago blues, electric blues, electric texas blues, psychedelic rock, rock

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About Johnny Winter

John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He was recognised for his blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1960s into the early 2000s. Winter produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues musician Muddy Waters and recorded several Grammy-nominated albums of his own. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, and in 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 63rd on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Winter was born in Beaumont, Texas, and had a younger brother, Edgar Winter. Both brothers were born with albinism. Their father, John Dawson Winter Jr., was a musician who performed on saxophone and guitar at various local events. Winter began performing as a child, appearing on a local children's show at the age of ten. Winter's recording career began at age 15 with his band Johnny and the Jammers, releasing "School Day Blues". In the 1960s, he performed locally with Roy Head and the Traits and released a single with them, "Tramp" backed with "Parchman Farm". His first album, "The Progressive Blues Experiment", was released in 1968 on Sonobeat Records. Winter gained wider recognition after performing B.B. King's "It's My Own Fault" at a Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper concert at the Fillmore East in December 1968, leading to a recording contract with Columbia Records. His debut Columbia album, "Johnny Winter" (1969), featured songs including "Dallas", "Good Morning Little School Girl", and "Be Careful with a Fool". The Imperial Records re-release of "The Progressive Blues Experiment" coincided with this album, and Winter performed at major rock festivals, including Woodstock. His second album, "Second Winter" (1969), introduced tracks such as "Johnny B. Goode" and "Highway 61 Revisited". In 1970, Winter formed a band called "Johnny Winter And" with guitarist Rick Derringer, bassist Randy Jo Hobbs, and drummer Randy Z. The band released the album "Johnny Winter And", which included "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". The live album "Live Johnny Winter And" captured performances of both new rock-oriented songs and Winter's earlier blues material. Winter struggled with heroin addiction during this period but later recovered and returned with albums including "Still Alive and Well" (1973), "Saints & Sinners" (1974), "John Dawson Winter III" (1974), and "Captured Live!" (1976). Winter collaborated with Muddy Waters in the 1970s, producing and playing on the albums "Hard Again" (1977), "I'm Ready" (1978), "King Bee" (1978), and "Muddy 'Mississippi' Waters – Live" (1979). These sessions contributed to Grammy Awards for Waters and a Grammy nomination for Winter's "Nothin' But the Blues". In 1996, Winter and his brother Edgar filed a lawsuit against DC Comics over the depiction of characters in "Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such", which was dismissed by the California Supreme Court on First Amendment grounds. In his later career, Winter recorded for labels including Alligator, Pointblank, and Virgin. He released "I'm a Bluesman" (2004), a series of live albums and DVDs beginning in 2007, "The Woodstock Experience" (2009), "Roots" (2011), and his final studio album, "Step Back" (2014), which won a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. Winter performed at numerous festivals and concerts, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Sweden Rock Festival, Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, and Rockpalast, and appeared at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festivals in 2007 and 2010. Winter was married to Susan Warford from 1993 until his death. He remained professionally active until July 16, 2014, when he died near Zürich, Switzerland, two days after performing at the Cahors Blues Festival in France. His death was attributed to emphysema combined with pneumonia. He is buried at Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut. Winter's legacy includes his work producing Grammy-winning albums for Muddy Waters, several of his own Grammy-nominated albums, and influence on guitarists such as Joe Perry, Frank Marino, Michael Schenker, Adrian Smith, Alex Skolnick, and Billy Corgan, whose band The Smashing Pumpkins recorded "Tribute to Johnny". He appeared in the 2008 documentary "American Music: Off the Record" with Edgar Winter and is remembered for his contributions to blues rock and live performance. Studio albums The Progressive Blues Experiment (1968) Johnny Winter (1969) Second Winter (1969) Johnny Winter And (1970) Still Alive and Well (1973) Saints & Sinners (1974) John Dawson Winter III (1974) Nothin' but the Blues (1977) White, Hot and Blue (1978) Raisin' Cain (1980) Guitar Slinger (1984) Serious Business (1985) Third Degree (1986) The Winter of '88 (1988) Let Me In (1991) Hey, Where's Your Brother? (1992) I'm a Bluesman (2004) Roots (2011) Step Back (2014)

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