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 Luck and Trouble
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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I mean that bad luck and trouble, people that's all that joins us
When my bad luck quit me, Lord my trouble just began
I'm travelin' the highway, since I was a child
Nobody see no woman man, nobody seems to care
Bad luck and trouble, man is all that joins us
When my bad luck quit me, man my trouble just began
Lord I'm sittin' down and thinkin', man I'm a long, long way from home
Just sittin' down and thinkin, man I'm a long, long way from home
Think about all my good times lord and my friends all want to know
They never hurt nobody, they never done nobody wrong
Other people won't accept me they say man leave me alone
Sittin' down and thinkin', Lord I'm a long long way from home
Thinkin' about my good times, man and my friends all want to know
Yeah
Man ain't nobody has this trouble, I gonna tell nobody else
Nobody else has this trouble, man ain't gonna tell nobody else
My whole life I'm livin' baby, gonna make it by myself
The lyrics to Johnny Winter's song Bad Luck and Trouble, highlight the idea that bad luck and trouble are the only things that bind people together. The song implies that no matter what social class or background a person has, everyone is subject to bad luck and trouble. When the singer's bad luck ended, his troubles began, showing that trouble is a continuous cycle for people.
The singer also describes his journey through life with no significant considerations, suggesting that he may have suffered from neglect in his childhood. He mentions how he is a long way from home, and he is just sitting and thinking, showing how his life is stagnant and without purpose. He then reminisces about his good times and friends who ask about him, showing that he longs for connections and validation.
The singer concludes the song by stating that nobody else has this kind of trouble, and he will make it by himself, suggesting that he has a sense of individual resilience despite his hardships. The song's overall message speaks to the idea that bad luck and trouble are the only things that unite us, and it is up to us to make the best of our situations and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe that bad luck and trouble, man is all that joins us
The only thing that connects people is their shared experiences of bad luck and trouble.
When my bad luck quit me, Lord my trouble just began
As soon as one problem disappears, another one appears to replace it.
I'm travelin' the highway, since I was a child
I have been moving along my path in life for as long as I can remember.
Nobody see no woman man, nobody seems to care
Nobody notices or cares about me.
Bad luck and trouble, man is all that joins us
The shared experience of bad luck and trouble connects people.
When my bad luck quit me, man my trouble just began
As soon as one problem disappears, another one appears to replace it.
Lord I'm sittin' down and thinkin', man I'm a long, long way from home
I am taking time to reflect on my situation and feeling far from where I belong.
Think about all my good times lord and my friends all want to know
I think back on the good times in my life, and my friends inquire about them.
They never hurt nobody, they never done nobody wrong
My friends are good people who have never harmed or hurt anyone.
Other people won't accept me they say man leave me alone
Other people reject me and want me to stay away.
Thinkin' about my good times, man and my friends all want to know
I reminisce about happier times and my friends are curious about them.
Man ain't nobody has this trouble, I gonna tell nobody else
I am not going to share my problems with anyone else because no one else has experienced them.
My whole life I'm livin' baby, gonna make it by myself
I have always lived my life alone and will continue to do so, relying only on myself.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY WINTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind