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.
I Had to Cry
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When their darling says goodbye
But you take me now
I just can't help it, I had to cry
Some people have a cold, cold heart
Makes no difference if they part
But you take me now
Why can't I be like some people
The kind that don't feel any pain
Why can't I be like the kind that don't mind
And start all over again
Some people just find someone new
Don't spend their time just feeling blue
But you take me now
Since you left me I had to cry
"I Had to Cry" is a song by Johnny Winter that deals with the aftermath of heartbreak. The song is about how some people are able to stay stoic when their lover walks out on them, but for others, the pain is just too much to bear. Winter expresses this sentiment through the opening verse: "Some people just can't seem to cry, when their darling says goodbye, but you take me now. I just can't help it, I had to cry."
Winter goes on to describe how some people have a "cold, cold heart" and are unaffected by the end of a relationship, but he is not one of them. He is consumed by sadness since his lover left him, and he wonders why he can't be like those who can "start all over again" without feeling any pain.
The song's chorus reflects Winter's desperation and heartache: "But you take me now, since you left me I had to cry. Why can't I be like some people, the kind that don't feel any pain." Winter's desire to move on is palpable, but he is unable to do so because of the depth of his emotions.
The song's final verse references the common practice of finding someone new after a breakup, but Winter admits that this is not an option for him. He is still stuck in his sadness and can't seem to move on.
Overall, "I Had to Cry" is a poignant and relatable portrayal of heartbreak and the different ways people cope with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people just can't seem to cry
Some individuals cannot show emotions, such as crying, even when their loved one departs.
When their darling says goodbye
When their beloved informs them of their departure.
But you take me now
However, it is different for me, because of you.
I just can't help it, I had to cry
I cannot control my emotions, and I needed to weep.
Some people have a cold, cold heart
There are others who don't seem to have feelings or let them show.
Makes no difference if they part
It doesn't matter to them if someone leaves their life.
Since you left me I had to cry
Ever since you parted from me, I had to weep.
Why can't I be like some people
Why am I not able to be like certain individuals?
The kind that don't feel any pain
The kind that can carry on without experiencing any emotional discomfort or hurt.
Why can't I be like the kind that don't mind
Why can't I be like those who don't care and can easily move on?
And start all over again
And start anew with someone else without experiencing any pain or heartbreak.
Some people just find someone new
Some individuals easily find another person to distract them.
Don't spend their time just feeling blue
Instead of spending their time feeling sad.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind