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.
Check Out Her Mama
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This ol' game of love is easy to play,
There's only one way to see...what the
Future will hold,
You better - check out her mama before
You get bold
Refrain:
Check out her mama 'cause' jus' between me
And you;
Unless her mama is fine, you better take
Your time;
She's gonna look jus' like her mama on
Down the line.
Now, you think you've found the girl of
Your dreams,
Well, pretty things aren't just what they
Seem.
'f you wanna see - what the future will
Hold,
You better - check out her mama before
You get bold.
Refrain
[solo guitar for 2 choruses (chorii?)]
Now, don't get in a hurry 'cause this ain't
No race.
And don't get taken in by a pretty face.
You know that beauty is only skin deep,
So play your cards right or a sweeter (?)
Man be.
Refrain [except with ... if her mama
Ain't fine you better take your time...]
[Take it out with soloing]
The lyrics of "Check Out Her Mama" by Johnny Winter have a deep meaning behind them. Winter is singing about the need to be cautious while choosing a partner in a romantic relationship. He advises the boys to check out the girl's mother before going too far with the girl. He emphasizes that by checking out the girl's mother, they can see what their partners will look like later in life. He repeats the line, "She's gonna look just like her mama on down the line," to reiterate this idea.
Winter further advises taking time to make decisions and not getting carried away with the beauty of a pretty face. He understands that beauty is only skin deep, and deeper values are more important to create a lasting relationship. The solo guitar in between the lines adds to the bluesy feel of the song, and Winter's distinctive voice is reminiscent of the blues era.
In conclusion, the song speaks of a deeper issue and advises young men to be cautious and thoughtful in their romantic choices. The message is relevant even today, with modern twists on this traditional belief such as "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" and "Like father like son."
Line by Line Meaning
Well, listen now boys...to what I say,
The singer is addressing the male listeners and urges them to pay attention and listen to his advice.
This ol' game of love is easy to play,
The singer claims that the act of courting a woman is not complicated.
There's only one way to see...what the Future will hold,
The singer believes that the best predictor of a woman's future appearance is her mother's appearance.
You better - check out her mama before You get bold
The singer advises the audience to assess the appearance of the woman's mother before committing to a serious relationship.
Check out her mama, before you say I do;
The singer repeats his earlier advice, emphasizing the importance of assessing the woman's mother before marriage.
Check out her mama 'cause' jus' between me
The singer confides in the audience, telling them that he knows from experience that assessing the mother is crucial when choosing a partner.
And you;
The singer includes the audience in his advice, urging them to take action to protect their own interests.
Unless her mama is fine, you better take Your time;
The singer cautions listeners that unless the mother is attractive, would-be suitors should proceed with caution.
She's gonna look jus' like her mama on Down the line.
The singer warns that a woman's appearance will ultimately resemble that of her mother's as she ages.
Now, you think you've found the girl of Your dreams,
The singer acknowledges that the audience aspires to find a perfect partner.
Well, pretty things aren't just what they Seem.
The singer cautions listeners not to be deceived by appearances.
'f you wanna see - what the future will Hold,
The singer reemphasizes that the best way to predict a woman's future appearance is to assess her mother.
Don't get in a hurry 'cause this ain't No race.
The singer advises a slow and cautious approach to dating.
And don't get taken in by a pretty face.
The singer warns listeners not to be swayed solely by a woman's appearance.
You know that beauty is only skin deep,
The singer reminds the audience that physical beauty is superficial.
So play your cards right or a sweeter (?), Man be.
The singer warns listeners that other men may try to woo their desired partner, and that they need to be strategic in their actions.
Refrain [except with ... if her mama Ain't fine you better take your time...]
The singer repeats his advice from earlier in the song, but with an alteration to reflect that if the woman's mother is unattractive, caution is required when pursuing a relationship.
[Take it out with soloing]
The song concludes with a guitar solo.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ALFRED 'FRED' JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sunking2001
This is one of the "coolest concepts"...check out her Mama...very, very true! Johnny hit a big "homerun" with this thought.
Sheila Alpha
i love this song
Mafia Moscoloni
Hermosa combinación!!!
Kevin James
Used to sing this to my first wife, 2nd wife and just sent to my GF, she’s 55 but Muma long gone ! Johnny just pulls some fab licks outta the Laser here! And the voice ! Fave guitar player captured live is my boogie bible ! This some real self destructive blues!
David Schmidt
SO glad I got to see Johnny in a tiny club in McKeesport, PA years ago! AWESOME!! An American legend...!!! He came out growlin' and yellin' and cut right into some songs! No BS at all!! After a few songs, I'll never forget, he said "OK, we're gonna do some blues for y'all..." and he grabbed the cord to his guitar and just YANKED IT OUT! So like an 800-watt POP!! came through the PA.....and he turned and handed his Firebird guitar back behind the curtain...(small club, small stage...) then a second later a bodiless hand held out what looked like a Gibson hollow-body (I think an ES-335?) , and he grabbed it, took the cord (still in his hand ) and plugged it right back in, so another huge POP!! Speakers and diaphragms be damned!! Then he started tearing up some blues...just incredible! Like, NO BS, no delicacy or nothin', he was here to fuckin' rock and roll, and if the guitars or the PA couldn't handle it, he'd just get another one!! Serious HARDCORE, the kind you can only EVER get from someone who literally grew up as a bluesman. [I don't care if he looked like ( a skinny-assed) Casper, he was the embodiment of the blues!!!! ]
After the show he was signing autographs and my buddy and I had nothing to get one on, so we started to leave, but as we walked out of the club, my friend "Mad Brad" saw the poster on the door of the club! (A big pic and "Live! Johnny Winter! Tonight! etc. etc. Typical tour poster! ) He gave me a look, and I understood instantly!! It was MEANT for two JW fans who had nothing else to get an autograph on! Clearly the stars had aligned for us to get that poster, (since, after all no one ELSE leaving the gig had torn it down, right??!!) So we tore it VERY carefully off the door and went back in! Johnny laughed when he saw it but he signed it for us!!
RIP JOHNNY!!! Glad I at least actually got to meet ya in the flesh and had a quick minute with ya!! They don't make your kind anymore!!!
BRAD, you better still have that poster!! Love ya, bro!!
jaybirdshelbync
My fave Winter lyrics!
Nikolai4o1
Cheers mate for this great song of my fav singer!!!!
It's me It's me Earnest T.
Thank You Lord for allowing me to live along side with John dawson.
Kevin James
Saint JDW! May he Rest In Peace
bill long
love ya johnny