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.
Kind Hearted Woman
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a kindhearted woman, do anything in this world for me
But these evilhearted women, man, they will not let me be
I love my baby, my baby don't love me
I love my baby oooh, my baby don't love me
I really love that woman, can't stand to leave her be
I's worried 'bout how you treat me, baby, I begin to think
Oh, babe, my life don't feel the same
You breaks my heart, when you call Mr. So and So's name
She's a kindhearted woman, she studies evil all the time
She's a kindhearted woman, she studies evil all the time
You well's to kill me, as to have it on your mind
The lyrics of the song "Kindhearted Woman" by Johnny Winter are about a man who has a woman in his life who is kindhearted, but is struggling to cope with the presence of other women who are evil and don't allow him to be. The lyrics suggest that the man loves his woman but is not loved back in return. He struggles with the fact that she keeps him hanging on while also flirting with other men. He also worries that she is studying evil all the time and that she may be planning something against him. The use of "Mr. Johnson" as a metaphor for himself and his drinking problem suggests that he is trying to drown his worries in alcohol.
The song depicts the struggle between love and fear. The fear that his partner is not truly in love with him and the fear that she may do something evil to him. The idea that she studies evil all the time is a powerful image of a kindhearted woman who may have secrets that can cause harm to others. The use of blues elements such as the repeating guitar riffs and the raw vocals, creates an intense and emotional atmosphere that captures the essence of the genre itself.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a kindhearted woman, do anything in this world for me
I am fortunate to have a woman who is always willing to do anything for me.
But these evilhearted women, man, they will not let me be
However, there are other women who are not kind like my woman and keep bothering me.
I love my baby, my baby don't love me
Even though I love my woman deeply, she does not have the same feelings for me.
I really love that woman, can't stand to leave her be
Despite not being loved in return, I cannot walk away from her due to the intensity of my love.
There ain't but one thing, makes Mr. Johnson drink,
The only reason that drives me to drink is my worry about how my woman treats me.
I's worried 'bout how you treat me, baby, I begin to think
I constantly worry and think about how my woman treats me.
Oh, babe, my life don't feel the same
Her treatment has a significant impact on my life as I do not feel the same anymore.
You breaks my heart, when you call Mr. So and So's name
It hurts me deeply to hear her call the name of another man.
She's a kindhearted woman, she studies evil all the time
Although my woman is kind, she has a penchant for seeking evil.
You well's to kill me, as to have it on your mind
Her evil thoughts and actions may well lead to my demise.
Contributed by Jordan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.