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| Ten Thousand Motels |
How Winter turned blues guitar-slinger
Kevin Bourke
27/4/2007
Manchester Evening News
THE title of his 2004 album, I'm A Bluesman, says it all really about Johnny Winter. The fact that Texas-born Winter produced and oversaw the series of brilliant 'comeback' albums made by the mighty Muddy Waters made in the seventies, collaborations so successful that Waters took to referring to Johnny as his "adopted son", would be enough to make him a heroic figure to blues fans.
Aside from that, though, the Texan guitar-slinger himself has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players in blues and rock. Growing up in rough-and-tumble Beaumont, Johnny remembers never hesitating as a kid to venture into black neighbourhoods to hear and play music.
Looking back, he believes people in the black community knew that he was sincere, that he was genuinely possessed by the blues. "Nothing ever happened to me. I went to black clubs all the time, and nobody ever bothered me... I always felt welcome," he recalls.
BB King
There's a famous story about a time in 1962 when Johnny and his younger brother Edgar went to see BB King at a Beaumont club called The Raven. The only whites in the crowd, they no doubt stood out. But Johnny already had his chops down and wanted to play with the revered BB.
"I was about 17," Johnny remembers, "and B.B. didn't want to let me on stage at first. He asked me for a union card, and I had one. Also I kept sending people over to ask him to let me play.
"Finally, he decided that there were enough people who wanted to hear me that, no matter if I was good or not, it would be worth it to let me on stage. He gave me his guitar and let me play. I got a standing ovation, and he took his guitar back!"
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
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| fireontheplatter |
great read
the only time i hear this guy is on the radio. i have never bought any of his records.
every now and then i know its kind of hard to tell, but i'm still alive and well |
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| mojoman |
johnny what a tragic story. once one of the most exciting blues rock guitarists of all time....... |
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| mrhipfl |
what's so tragic about it? He's still a great singer and guitar player. He packed in huge crowds at the last two blues fests I saw him at. |
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| mojoman |
quote:
mrhipfl wrote:
what's so tragic about it? He's still a great singer and guitar player. He packed in huge crowds at the last two blues fests I saw him at.
whats tragic is the health problems that he suffers from. the shows he's done in the last ten years especially the ones with james montgomery havent been exactly fiery unless you are comparing him to john lee hooker in his waning years. the bars, clubs and theaters for the most part were not even sold out. the last big crowd i saw him draw was a free show in connecticut maybe there were a 1000 people there, and thats tragic also because to me the guy was alot more powerful and interesting than srv..... |
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