Looking back, he believes people in the black community knew that he was sincere, that he was genuinely possessed by the blues. Despite the brutal legacy, Johnny remembers never hesitating as a kid to venture into black neighborhoods to hear and play music. Mobs wandered the streets, businesses burned, martial law went into effect, and more than 2,000 uniformed National Guardsmen and Texas Rangers sealed off the town from the rest of the world until tempers cooled. The town had been side to one of the worst race riots in Texas history just nine months before Johnny’s birth. Racial tensions in Beaumont were still high in those days. He formed his first band, Johnny and the Jammers, in 1959 at the age of 15, with his 12-year-old brother Edgar on keyboards. Richardson – The Big Bopper of “Chantilly Lace” fame – and became hooked on 50’s rock & roll. Growing up in a rough-and-tumble town populated by oilfield wildcatters and shipyard workers, he spent long hours listening to a local deejay named J.P. Constantly shifting between simple country blues in the vein of Robert Johnson, to all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock, – Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players in rock and the clear link between British blues-rock and American Southern rock (a la the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.) Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Johnny was the unofficial torch-bearer for the blues, championing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Signing to Columbia records in 1969 called largest solo artist deal of it’s time, Johnny immediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on classic blues a prime combination for the legions of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Johnny Winter was survived by his wife, Susan, and brother Edgar.ĭo you have a favorite Johnny Winter story? Comment in the section below.Has been a guitar hero without equal. Johnny Winter released 19 studio albums and 8 live albums over the course of his career.Ī documentary film about Johnny Winter’s life and career, Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty was directed by Greg Olliver and produced by Paul Nelson. Days later, he was signed to Columbia Records. Johnny Winter caught his big musical break when Mike Bloomfield invited him to sing and play during a Bloomfield and Al Kooper concert at Fillmore East, NYC. Edgar later became famous in his own right. Johnny formed the band, Johnny and the Jammers, with Edgar on keyboards. Known for his lighting fast finger work on the guitar, he was named 63 rd on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists.īorn John Dawson Winter III in Beaumont, TX, Winter and his younger brother Edgar Winter, were born with albinism. Winter released a string of popular albums, combining classic blues and original compositions. Johnny Winter became the first white musician named to the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. John, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Leslie West, and Mark Knopfler. Step Back features guest artists such as Eric Clapton, Dr. The album also won the 2015 Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album. Step Back was produced by Winter’s guitarist, Paul Nelson. Step Back, his last album that was released posthumously, won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album in 2015. ![]() Known for his high-energy blues-rock recordings and performances of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for Muddy Waters.Īfter his time with Waters, he recorded several Grammy nominated blues albums. He was also a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. ![]() Winter was one of the world’s greatest blues guitarists in the world, regarded as a blues-rock guitar virtuoso.
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