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.
Georgianna
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Georgianna, oh Georgianna
Don't you hear me calling you
Tell me why, why Georgianna
Do you treat me like you do
You left me alone, Georgianna
You left me without warning
Well Georgianna, tell me why
Te na na...
If I had one million dollars
And I don't imagine to
Well I'd give one million dollars
If that might take all of you
Georgianna, oh Georgianna
Don't you hear me calling you
Tell me why, why Gerogianna
Do you treat me like you do
The lyrics of Johnny Winter's song Georgianna are about a man who is calling out to his lover, Georgianna, who has left him alone without even saying goodbye. He wants to know why she treated him the way she did. The song has a sense of desperation in it as the singer pleads with Georgianna to come back to him. Throughout the song, he tries to understand why she would treat him poorly, despite his love for her.
The lyrics capture the emotions of a man who is at his wit's end because of the love he has for Georgianna. Despite her apparent indifference towards him, his love remains strong, as he says that he would give away one million dollars to have her back in his life. The repetition of “te na na” adds to the overall melancholic feel of the song.
In summary, this song is an emotional plea from a man who has been left alone by his lover, Georgianna. Despite her indifference, his love for her remains strong, and he wants to know why she treated him the way she did.
Line by Line Meaning
Georgianna, oh Georgianna
Johny Winter addresses Georgianna with sorrowful empathy for the pain she has caused him
Don't you hear me calling you
Johnny Winter expresses his desperation for Georgianna's attention
Tell me why, why Georgianna
Johnny Winter begs Georgianna to offer a satisfactory explanation for her actions
Do you treat me like you do
Johnny Winter queries Georgianna's inexplicable maltreatment towards him
You left me alone, Georgianna
Johnny Winter alleges that Georgianna deserted him abruptly without any explanation
And you did not even say goodbye
Johnny Winter confesses that he was deeply hurt by Georgianna's lack of a farewell
You left me without warning
Johnny Winter emphasizes the suddenness of Georgiana's leaving
Well Georgianna, tell me why
Johnny Winter repeats his request for an explanation
If I had one million dollars
Johnny Winter imagines having an enormous sum of money
And I don't imagine to
Johnny Winter implies that such a scenario is highly unlikely
Well I'd give one million dollars
Johnny Winter states that he would be willing to give up a vast amount of wealth
If that might take all of you
Johnny Winter suggests that he would sacrifice everything to win Georgianna back
Georgianna, oh Georgianna
Johnny Winter repeats his appeal to Georgianna
Don't you hear me calling you
Johnny Winter repeats his desperate call to Georgianna
Tell me why, why Georgianna
Johnny Winter reiterates his plea for an explanation from Georgianna
Do you treat me like you do
Johnny Winter repeats his confusion over Georgianna's actions
Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.