No one can ever accuse Johnny Winter of being dull. Since the late sixties, Johnny’s been blowing away rock and blues audiences with his growling voice and flamboyant guitar playing. An albino with an impressive mane of shoulder length white hair, Johnny Winter brings new meaning to the term “White Blues.” In addition to his considerable musical gifts, Johnny Winter has always had a distinctive sense of style.
Back in the seventies he was fond of capes and outrageous bell-bottoms. In the eighties and nineties, he began favoring black sleeveless shirts that showed off his extensive tattoo collection; some publicity shots showed him shirtless, revealing the huge multicolored dragon’s head tattooed on his chest. Guitar slingers come and go, but Johnny Winter has established himself as an unforgettable persona in the annals of blues and rock music.
Like his music and stage persona, Johnny Winter’s career has also been anything but nondescript. Believing they had discovered rock and roll’s next guitar-god, Columbia Records offered Johnny a record-breaking advance back in 1969. Johnny and his band went from sleeping on floors to living in mansions virtually over night. Unfortunately, the rock and roll lifestyle took its toll on Johnny Winter; in the early seventies he was hospitalized due to a combination of substance abuse and clinical depression.
After cleaning up his act, Johnny released the aptly titled “Still Alive and Well” and continued to play rock and roll throughout the mid seventies. In the late seventies, Johnny returned to his blues roots by teaming up with his idol Muddy Waters. Winter produced and played on such landmark Muddy Waters albums as “Hard Again” and “I’m Ready.”
In the early eighties, Johnny found himself recording for the prestigious blues label Alligator Records. Johnny recorded three albums for Alligator - “Guitar Slinger”, “Serious Business” and “Third Degree” - before ultimately moving on to Pointblank Records in the nineties. Although all of Johnny’s Alligator recordings are well regarded, “Third Degree” is arguably the best of the lot.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
I've seen Johnny Winter three times, with the last time being shortly after he fell down the stairs at home. He looked really, really frail and has lost a bit of his edge. Still, I would buy tickets to see him again, such is his value as musician and blues legend.
2 - Jon Kleinman
I saw Johnny Winter in Cleveland back in Dec, 1992. He did a version of "The Same Old Thing" that was a showstopper-it was just amazing. I understand he's not in such good shape these days, which is a shame.
"Third Degree", along with the two Pointblank recordings "Let Me In" and "Where's Your Brother?" are some of his best blues work. Does anyone know who did the huge dragon's head tattoo on his chest? I'd once heard that it was Jonathon Shaw in NYC, but I don't know if that's true.
3 - Eric Olsen
I was a big fan of Winters' back in the '70s but haven't paid that much attention since - very informative and interesting review Jon, thanks and welcome!