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.
Bring It On Home
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About leavin', leavin' me behind
Baby, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin'
Bring it on home to me, yeah, yeah
You know I cried when you left
But now I only, only hurt myself
Baby, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin'
You know I'll always be your slave
Until I'm buried, buried in my grave
Baby, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin'
Bring it on home to me, yeah, yeah, yeah
In Johnny Winter's song Bring It On Home, the singer pleads for his lover to come back to him. He states that if she ever changes her mind about leaving him behind, she should bring her sweet loving and bring it on home to him. He confesses that he cried when she left, but now he only hurts himself. He then declares that he will always be her slave until he's buried in his grave.
The lyrics suggest a feeling of vulnerability and desperation. The singer seems to be willing to do anything to get his lover back, even though he acknowledges that he is hurting himself in the process. The repetition of the phrase "bring it on home to me" reinforces the plea for his lover to return. The line "you know I'll always be your slave" also indicates a sense of powerlessness on the singer's part.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever change your mind
In case you reconsider your decision
About leavin', leavin' me behind
Regarding the possibility of leaving me alone
Baby, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin'
Please come back to me and give me your affection
Bring it on home to me, yeah, yeah
Come back to me as soon as you can
You know I cried when you left
I wept when you departed
But now I only, only hurt myself
Now I only cause myself pain
You know I'll always be your slave
You can always count on me, no matter what
Until I'm buried, buried in my grave
I will remain loyal to you until my death
Baby, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin'
Please come back to me and give me your affection
Bring it on home to me, yeah, yeah, yeah
Come back to me as soon as you can
Contributed by Christian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.