Johnny Winter, along with his brother Edgar Winter, were nurtured at an early age by their parents in musical pursuits. Both he and his brother, who were born with albinism, began performing at an early age. When he was ten-years old, Winter appeared on a local children's show, playing ukelele and singing Everly Brothers songs with his brother.
His recording career began at the age of fifteen, when his band Johnny and the Jammers released "School Day Blues" on a Houston record label. During this same period, he was able to see performances by classic blues artists such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Bobby Bland. In the early days Winter would sometimes sit in with Roy Head and The Traits when they performed in the Beaumont, Texas area, and in 1967, Winter recorded a single with The Traits: "Tramp" backed with "Parchman Farm" (Universal Records 30496). In 1968, he released his first album The Progressive Blues Experiment, on Austin's Sonobeat Records.
Winter caught his biggest break in December 1968, when Mike Bloomfield, whom he met and jammed with in Chicago, invited him to sing and play a song during a Bloomfield and Al Kooper concert at the Fillmore East in New York. As it happened, representatives of Columbia Records (which had released the Top Ten Bloomfield/Kooper Super Session album) were at the concert. Winter played and sang B.B. King's "It's My Own Fault" to loud applause and, within a few days, was signed to reportedly what was then the largest advance in the history of the recording industry–$600,000.
Winter's first Columbia album, Johnny Winter was recorded and released in 1969. It featured the same backing musicians with whom he recorded The Progressive Blues Experiment, bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner, plus Edgar Winter on keyboards and saxophone, and (for his "Mean Mistreater") blues legends Willie Dixon on upright bass and Big Walter Horton on harmonica. The album featured a few selections that became Winter signature songs, including his composition "Dallas" (an acoustic blues, on which Winter played a steel-bodied, resonator guitar), John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl", and B.B. King's "Be Careful With A Fool".
The album's success coincided with Imperial Records picking up The Progressive Blues Experiment for wider release. The same year, the Winter trio toured and performed at several rock festivals, including Woodstock. With brother Edgar added as a full member of the group, Winter also recorded his second album, Second Winter in Nashville in 1969. The two-record album, which only had three recorded sides (the fourth was blank), introduced a couple more staples of Winter's concerts, including Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" and Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited".
In 1984, Winter began recording for several labels, including Alligator Records and Point Blank Records, where he has focused on blues-oriented material. He continues to perform live, including festivals throughout North America and Europe. Winter has headlined such prestigious events as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Swedish Rock Fest, Warren Haynes X-mas jam, and Europe’s Rockpalast. He also performed with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan on the 40th anniversary of their debut. In 2007 and 2010, Winter performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festivals. Two guitar instructional DVDs have been produced by Cherry Lane Music and the Hal Leonard Corporation. The Gibson Guitar Company released the signature Johnny Winter Firebird guitar in a ceremony in Nashville with Slash presenting.
In 2004, Winter received a Grammy nomination for his I’m a Bluesman album. Backing him are guitarist Paul Nelson, bassist Scott Spray, and drummer Vito Liuzzi. Beginning in 2007, a series of live Winter albums titled the Live Bootleg Series and a live DVD have all entered the Top 10 Billboard Blues charts. In 2009, The Woodstock Experience album was released, which includes eight songs that Winter performed at the 1969 festival. Johnny Winter is signed to Megaforce Records, who will release a new studio album titled Roots on September 27, 2011. It will include Winter's interpretation of eleven early blues and rock 'n' roll classics and feature several guest artists.
Winter produced three Grammy Award-winning albums by Muddy Waters, Hard Again (1977), I'm Ready (1978), and Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live (1979). Several Winter albums were also nominated for Grammy Awards. In 1980, Winter was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World and in 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
Bad Girl Blues
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know they ain't thinkin' about no man
They ain't keepin' secrets no more,
They playing a wide open hand
I saw a little girl the other day,
I asked her for a little thrill
She said I'm so sorry daddy,
I took the woman out ridin',
Bought her all kinds of whiskey and wine
I guess I was too drunk to realize,
She say I'll see you some other time
The woman gets all dressed up to boogie,
Goes out smelling sweet like a rose
Comes home 5 o'clock in the mornin',
With that fish scent on her clothes
The lyrics to Johnny Winter's song Bad Girl Blues are about women who are unapologetically living their lives without conforming to the expectations of men. The first verse suggests that these women are in relationships with one another, and are free from the constraints of trying to impress or please men. They are not keeping any secrets and are playing with a "wide open hand".
In the second verse, Johnny Winter sings about his encounter with a young girl who is not interested in giving him the "thrill" he asked for, as she is already giving it to someone else. This illustrates the idea that women are independent and are free to make their own choices without needing the approval or validation of men.
The third verse tells the story of a woman who he took out riding and bought her all kinds of drinks, but was too drunk to realize that she was not interested in seeing him again. The final verse describes a woman who gets dressed up to go out and dance, but comes home at 5 o'clock in the morning with the smell of fish on her clothes. This portrays the image of a woman who is living her life on her own terms, and is not afraid to enjoy herself and have fun.
Overall, the song is a celebration of female empowerment and liberation from societal norms and expectations. It is a message about the importance of living life to the fullest and embracing individuality, even if it means going against the grain.
Line by Line Meaning
These women loving each other,
These two women are in love and solely focused on each other, not interested in any men.
You know they ain't thinkin' about no man
They don't have any feelings or thoughts about men and don't need them for anything.
They ain't keepin' secrets no more,
They are open about their love and are not hiding anything.
They playing a wide open hand
They are showing their love to the world and not afraid to be themselves.
I saw a little girl the other day,
I met a young woman recently.
I asked her for a little thrill
I propositioned her for sexual activities.
She said I'm so sorry daddy,
She declined my offer apologetically.
But I'm puttin' out the same thing you is
She explained that she is not interested because she is already engaging in sexual activities with someone else.
I took the woman out ridin',
I went out with a woman for a drive.
Bought her all kinds of whiskey and wine
I spent a lot of money on buying her various alcoholic drinks.
I guess I was too drunk to realize,
I was too intoxicated to notice or understand what was happening.
She say I'll see you some other time
The woman told me she would meet me another time, but did not have any intention of following through with that promise.
The woman gets all dressed up to boogie,
The woman dresses up nicely to go out and dance.
Goes out smelling sweet like a rose
She smells really nice and the scent is noticeable.
Comes home 5 o'clock in the mornin',
She comes home very late or early in the morning.
With that fish scent on her clothes
Her clothes smell bad, like fish.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MEMPHIS WILLIE B., WILLIE BORUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind