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.
Hurtin
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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In an empty bed
It's that same old lonesome song
Ya know my baby's gone
Oh I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad, yeah
I got tear drops, I got tear drops on my pillow
Thinkin' 'bout the good times that we had
Ya just got to carry on
But I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad
You know I got me
I got me two or three part-time lovers
But that don't do me no good
I believe it takes a good woman
To love a bad, bad man
If ya try I believe ya really could, ooh
Your lovin' ways, so warm and tender
Your worst was the best I ever had
So come on back home
It's so hard to live alone
I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad
Yeah, I got me two or three part-time lovers
But that don't do me no good
You know, it takes a good woman
To love a bad, bad man
If ya try I know you baby could, ooh
Your lovin' ways, so warm and tender
Your worst was the best I ever had
So come on back home
It's so hard to live alone
I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad
You know I'm hurtin' so bad, babe
Sometime I just feel like, sometime I gotta sit down and scream
You know at least once in a while, at least once in a while
I gotta talk to you, baby, I gotta talk to you, baby
Your love, baby, if this is why I couldn't tell you now
But I, I, I, I'm hurtin' so bad
Johnny Winter’s “Hurtin’ So Bad” is a powerful and emotional song that details the pain of a man who has been left alone after his lover has left him. The song opens with Winter waking up alone in his bed and realizing that his lover has left him. He then delves into the memories of the good times that they shared together, and the pain of feeling alone and abandoned. Winter’s emotions are front and center in the song, which is highlighted by his delivery and the melancholy melody that carries the lyrics.
Winter admits to having two or three part-time lovers, but this does not satisfy him. He believes that a good woman is needed to love a bad man, and that his lover was the best he ever had. Winter implores his lover to come back home, as living alone is so hard, and he is truly and deeply hurt from the breakup.
Winter’s use of tear drops on the pillow as a metaphor for his sadness and the repetition of the phrase “I’m hurtin’ so bad” throughout the song creates a memorable and relatable experience for listeners. The song is an important reminder of the depth and strength of human emotions, particularly heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up late this mornin'
I woke up late this morning feeling empty and alone.
In an empty bed
I woke up in a bed that feels empty and lonely without my lover.
It's that same old lonesome song
The pain of loneliness feels like a familiar and constant tune.
Ya know my baby's gone
My lover has left me, and I feel lost and alone without them.
Oh I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad, yeah
I am in so much pain and sadness from the loss of my lover.
I got tear drops, I got tear drops on my pillow
I have been crying and feeling heartbroken, leaving tears on my pillow.
Thinkin' 'bout the good times that we had
I am reminiscing about the happy memories I shared with my lover.
My friends, oh, all say be strong
My friends encourage me to stay strong and carry on through this pain.
Ya just got to carry on
I need to carry on and try to move forward despite how much I am hurting.
But I, oh, I'm hurtin' so bad
Even though my friends encourage me to be strong, I am still feeling an immense amount of pain.
You know I got me
I have found other people to have relationships with.
I got me two or three part-time lovers
I have a few people in my life who I spend time with, but they cannot replace the love I had with my former partner.
But that don't do me no good
Despite having other people in my life, it does not ease the pain in my heart.
I believe it takes a good woman
I think it takes a special person to love someone like me, who can be troublesome at times.
To love a bad, bad man
It takes a loving and patient person to stick by the side of someone like me, who is not always easy to be with.
If ya try I believe ya really could, ooh
If someone tried to love me, I think that they really could love me and understand me.
Your lovin' ways, so warm and tender
I miss the loving and tender ways of my former partner.
Your worst was the best I ever had
Even at their worst, my former partner was still better than anyone else I have been with.
So come on back home
I wish my former partner would come back to me and return to our home and our life together.
It's so hard to live alone
Living alone without my former partner is incredibly difficult and painful for me.
You know I'm hurtin' so bad, babe
The pain and sadness I am experiencing is overwhelming and consuming me.
Sometime I just feel like, sometime I gotta sit down and scream
The pain and sadness I feel is so intense that I feel like I need to scream to release it.
You know at least once in a while, at least once in a while
Occasionally I want to talk to my former partner and feel close to them again.
I gotta talk to you, baby, I gotta talk to you, baby
I feel a need to communicate with my former partner and try to work things out between us.
Your love, baby, if this is why I couldn't tell you now
I realize now that I took for granted the love and affection of my former partner and wish I had told them how much I loved them while they were still with me.
But I, I, I, I'm hurtin' so bad
Even though I want things to be different and to be back with my former partner, I cannot help but feel the pain of their absence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHNNY WINTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind