My pal Russell’s parents had gone away for the weekend, leaving him on his own. He’d promised not to have a party and having three of us 16-year-olds round to drink beer and listen to music couldn’t be construed as a party could it?
It was on this occasion that I first heard Johnny Winter and I was blown away. It was the Captured Live record. His playing was so fast yet precise. There was no-one even slightly like him. So I jumped into his back catalogue with vigour, not knowing what to expect. I was delighted to find there were a lot of his blues. My favourite was quickly the two Johnny Winter And albums. He did the best covers from Johnny B.Goode to Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Highway 61 Revisited, usually better than the original and always featuring precise, high-speed playing with his guttural, rough voice singing over the top.
I became so enamored with him that I bought all the albums to that date and began picking up singles. For some reason I found loads of demos. Those white CBS ones with an orange ‘A’ . One of the best things I got was the triple The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Isle Of Wight / Atlanta Pop Festival which features him playing Mean Mistreater.
I have a first pressing of Second Winter, with the blank fourth side and two UK copies of the first album, which was really the second after Progressive Blues Experiment a great title.
I even got a 1979 reissue of the Johnny and the Jammers ‘School Day Blues’ single
The albums are exceptionally consistent. He had an uncanny ability to blend technical prowess with emotional depth, creating a sound that could melt your heart or make your hair stand on end. His blazing, fast riffs and sizzling slide guitar became a trademark.
Born with albinism, which made him visually distinct, he was quite a sight in the early 70s. I don’t think he cared about fitting in; he cared about the music.
He first came to national attention in the 1960s with recordings like Johnny Winter (1969) and Second Winter (1969), albums that immediately established him as a serious blues talent. Second Winter is often lauded for its ambitious scope and wild energy. He was always on the road and a festival fixture. His Woodstock set is superb and shows his genius through this golden age.
He signed to Columbia Records, and albums like Still Alive and Well (1973) which was his highest charting album in USA at #22, solidified his place as a major live draw. The man could tear through a song with an unrelenting fire, and his collaboration with Muddy Waters—producing albums like Hard Again (1977)—helped redefine the blues genre, bringing new life to the artform. In UK, just four albums charted the …And live album, the highest at #20, the studio release at #29. Second Winter made #59 and his last record, Step Back spent a week at #41
Winter was a lifelong bluesman—he wasn’t just another player; he was a bridge between generations. He revered the legends of the past, like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and yet, he brought something fresh and hard to the party. His tone was crisp and biting. Whether he was playing a fiery solo or cutting loose with a moaning, aching note, he made you feel it.
But his career wasn't without its challenges. He battled substance abuse for much of his life, which, at times, derailed his momentum. Yet, his love for the music always brought him back. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Johnny had a resurgence, keeping the fire alive with tours and new material. His 1990s albums like Hey, Where’s Your Brother? and I’m a Bluesman are testament to his never-ending love for the art form. I had his live in NYC 1997 album and it is brilliant.
We saw him at the House of Blues in Chicago around 2009. He wasn’t well and had to sit down to play and he was consistently behind the beat. Frankly it was awful. The opposite of that energetic, high-speed performance on Captured Live. I guess years of rock and roll took their toll but man, what years they were.
