Johnny Winter

[Deezer]

Oh, and is this the article you were looking for?

http://www.livebluesworld.com/profiles/blo...ABlogPost%3A461

[Jahfin]

Oh, and is this the article you were looking for?

http://www.livebluesworld.com/profiles/blo...ABlogPost%3A461

That's the one, thanks for finding it.

[ZeppFanForever]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...0377/1039/ENT04

At 63, guitarist Johnny Winter remains fiercely devoted to the music that first inspired him

December 27, 2007

BY DEBORAH RAMIREZ

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL

Johnny Winter has spent nearly four decades singing about Highway 61, the legendary road that black musicians once traveled on their way to gigs up north, taking the blues beyond the Mississippi Delta and to the rest of the world.

Winter, 63, has traveled his own long, hard road over the course of his iconic career, introducing the blues to generations of new fans along the way.

He is perhaps best known for "Highway 61 Revisited," a Bob Dylan folk-rock song that Winter transforms into an electrifying ode to the blues on his slide guitar, which he still plays like a man whose hands are on fire.

"It's not traditional blues," says Winter, who has kept "Highway 61" in his repertoire while dropping most of the other rock numbers. "But it's pretty bluesy." The artist performs a sold-out show Thursday at the Ark in Ann Arbor.

Winter first gained national attention in 1968 when a Rolling Stone article described him as a 24-year-old, skinny, cross-eyed albino from Texas "playing some of the gutsiest blues guitar you have ever heard." The young guitarist soon found himself jamming with Jimi Hendrix and being compared to Janis Joplin.

Despite early success in the rock world, Winter remained true to the blues. In 1977, he teamed with Muddy Waters, whose own legendary star was in eclipse. Winter played on and produced four albums for the aging bluesman; three won Grammys.

"Oh, I loved Muddy," Winter says.

"He was, you know, one of my idols. I loved to play (with Muddy). ... It was an easy thing to do. I couldn't wait to do it."

Winter helped his idol make a comeback, but his own career suffered a number of setbacks.

The rock-bluesman kicked a heroin habit in the early '70s, but later had difficulty with antidepressants and vodka. Bad management and health problems compounded his misfortunes. In early 2000, Winter fractured his hip, an injury that still forces him to perform seated. Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome temporarily prevented him from playing the guitar.

Always thin, by the 21st Century, Winter weighed less than 100 pounds. He appeared frail and older than his years.

For a while, he seemed to embody the blues he sang about.

But the blues are also about resilience in times of trouble and, with the help of second guitarist Paul Nelson, Winter fired his manager, gained weight and sobered up. The past year, in particular, has been good to the man called Johnny Guitar -- and the world has noticed.

Profiles and cover stories have appeared in several national music magazines, and Rolling Stone lauded his performance this summer at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago.

Press coverage has continued with a DVD that includes Winter's performance at Crossroads, released in November, and a "Live Bootleg Series, Vol. 1," with material from the early '70s.

Winter's next project is to record some of his favorite traditional blues numbers with guest musicians. The release date has yet to be determined.

"We are working on labels right now," says Nelson, who also serves as Winter's manager. "With all the coverage that's coming in, we want to make the best of it."

Not bad for a 63-year-old man singing the blues.

"It's such an emotional music, such a feeling music; it's about life," Winter says of his devotion to the genre. "Just as soon as I first heard it, I loved it."

How's it going "Bong-Man?" I LOVE JOHNNY WINTER! I also love his brother EDGAR WINTER of THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP. I always loved Edgar's version of "Free Ride" and "Frankenstein." These are two songs that truly kick ass. Sounds like THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP would be another great thread to write about. ROCK ON!

[mightyzep247]

I saw Johnny at the beginning of the month in NYC. He is incredible. He's one of the best guitarists I've seen by a long run.

[Jahfin]

Johnny Winter and band on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1979 (the complete performance):

http://youtu.be/wXKhwjlGAH4

[LedZeppfan77]

I believe I may still have the Tobacco Road album somewhere in a closet at my mothers house. I have not heard anything of Edgar in recent years? I am assuming he is still alive and well? Hopefully.

[Jahfin]

Yes, he is. I've seen him in concert a couple of times over the years but both occasions were well after his star had faded. He still knows how to bring it though. The most recent of the two times I saw him (which would have been in the early 90's), Carmine Appice was his drummer. They were playing a small bar in Emerald Isle, NC called Rootie's. That was one hell of a show.

[jimmie ray]

Yes, he is. I've seen him in concert a couple of times over the years but both occasions were well after his star had faded. He still knows how to bring it though. The most recent of the two times I saw him (which would have been in the early 90's), Carmine Appice was his drummer. They were playing a small bar in Emerald Isle, NC called Rootie's. That was one hell of a show.

Going to see Vanilla Fudge in two weeks - as far as I know Carmine is currently their drummer. I'm planning on this being one hell of a show, too!

[Jahfin]

Going to see Vanilla Fudge in two weeks - as far as I know Carmine is currently their drummer. I'm planning on this being one hell of a show, too!

Looking forward to your report. He certainly held his own with the Edgar Winter Group (as if there were ever any doubt) and was very personable to all of us fans following the show to boot.