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.
Come Back Baby
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh mama please dont go, yeah
Cause the way I love you
Child you'll never know
Oh come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Well I admit, baby
That I was wrong
Don't you know, baby
Child you been gone too long
Oh come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Say If I could holler
Like a mountain jack
Yeah yeah oh people
I'd call my baby back
Oh come back baby, Woo yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Now one of these days, baby
And It won't be long, yeah
You gonna look for me child you know
And Ill be gone
So come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
In Johnny Winter's song "Come Back Baby," the lyrics express the pain and remorse of losing a loved one. The singer is begging their partner, "Oh come back, baby, oh mama please don't go," because they realize that they were in the wrong and didn't truly understand the depth of their love. They are pleading for one more chance to make things right, recognizing that they need to talk it over and admit their mistakes. The singer is also acknowledging that they are at fault, singing "I admit, baby, that I was wrong, don't you know, baby, child you've been gone too long."
The use of the repetition of "oh come back baby, yeah yeah" in the chorus emphasizes the desperation and longing for the partner to return. The singer is so hopeful for their partner to give them one more chance that they say "if I could holler like a mountain jack, I'd call my baby back." The lyrics convey that the singer knows they messed up and that they are scared that their partner might not come back to them. The song ends with the singer warning their partner that if they don't come back soon, it might be too late, "one of these days, baby, and it won't be long, you gonna look for me child you know and I'll be gone."
Overall, Johnny Winter's "Come Back Baby" is a raw and honest depiction of a love gone bad. The lyrics express the pain and regret associated with losing someone, and the desperation to make things right before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh come back, baby
The singer wants their loved one to return to them
Oh mama please dont go, yeah
The singer is begging their loved one not to leave
Cause the way I love you
Child you'll never know
The singer loves their partner deeply, and they may not fully understand the extent of that love
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
The singer wants to discuss the situation with their loved one
Well I admit, baby
That I was wrong
The singer confesses to making a mistake
Don't you know, baby
Child you been gone too long
The singer misses their loved one and thinks they have been away for too long
Say If I could holler
Like a mountain jack
Yeah yeah oh people
I'd call my baby back
The singer wishes they had the power to call their loved one back to them
Oh come back baby, Woo yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
The singer reiterates their desire to talk things over with their partner
Now one of these days, baby
And It won't be long, yeah
You gonna look for me child you know
And Ill be gone
The singer warns their loved one that if they continue to stay away, they may miss their chance at reconciliation
Contributed by Gabriella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Giants588
One of JW's last albums, old, physically hurting, and his voice was gone, but the heart and the emotion was still there. The late, great Johnny Winter was absolutely tremendous. RIP brother.
pr0410
Cara da pesada....SHOW
Bill Ridge
Experience to the third degree
Rev Eddro
rest east J.D.W.
Bill Ridge
Experience. to the third degree