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.
Can
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't ya feel it, baby?
You know that my love goes deeper than sin
Can't ya feel it, baby?
The shock of ya, ow, make me feel so fine
Lightenin' flashin' up my spine
I'll jump into the river and drown
If I can't make ya happy
I'll jump into the river and drown
Can't ya feel it?
You know you give me fever, you're out of control
Can't ya feel it, baby?
You're looking like I'm never wanna let you go
Can't ya feel it, baby?
The shock of ya, ow, make me feel so fine
Lightenin' flashin' up my spine
If I can't make ya happy
I'll jump into the river and drown
I can't make ya happy
I'll jump into the river and drown, yeah
Outside the window, I'm tryin' to get in
Can't ya feel it, baby?
You know that my love goes deeper than sin
Can't ya feel it, baby?
I guess ya got me under your magic spell
Right between heaven and hell
And if I can't make ya happy
I'll jump into the river and drown
Can't make ya happy
I'll jump into the river and drown
I can't make ya happy
Gonna jump into the river and drown, yeah
The lyrics of Johnny Winter's song "Can" are centered around the theme of intense love and passion. The persona expresses his feelings for someone and wants to be with them. He believes that his love for them is deeper than sin, and it is evident since he cannot stop thinking about them. He tries to win their affection by constantly reminding them that his love lights up his spine like lightning, and he will do anything to make them happy, even if it means jumping into the river and drowning.
The persona is under a magic spell cast by the person he loves, and he is caught between heaven and hell. He confesses that he is at their mercy and cannot control his emotions. He also tells his lover that they give him fever, and he is out of control. This infers that he is head over heels in love with this person, and he cannot help it.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the window, I'm tryin' to get in
I want to be with you, but I'm not currently by your side
Can't ya feel it, baby?
Are you aware of the passion and intensity I feel towards you?
You know that my love goes deeper than sin
My love for you is profound and sincere, beyond any wrongdoing or mistake
The shock of ya, ow, make me feel so fine
Your mere presence sends shivers down my spine, giving me a pleasurable sensation
Lightenin' flashin' up my spine
Your electric energy arouses and excites me
If I can't make ya happy
If I am unable to bring joy to your life
I'll jump into the river and drown
I would rather die than live without your happiness
You know you give me fever, you're out of control
Your love makes me feel feverish, and it's untamable and uncontrollable
You're looking like I'm never wanna let you go
You are so captivating and alluring that I never want to be without you
I guess ya got me under your magic spell
You have enchanted me, and I am unable to resist your charm
Right between heaven and hell
Being with you is like being in a place of both incredible bliss and agonizing torment
Can't make ya happy
If I am unable to bring joy to your life
Gonna jump into the river and drown, yeah
I am willing to sacrifice everything for your happiness, even my own life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN HARTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind