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.
Leaving Blues
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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Just hugging the pillow where my rider used to lay
Leavin' blues I can't stay here to long
I've been mistreated and I'm goin' home
I sometimes drink whisky, I sometimes drink wine
I've been mistreated and I don't mind dying
I've got my 32-20 and my old .44
I got a shotgun on my shoulder, and I'm bound to go
The song "Leaving Blues" by Johnny Winter is a classic blues tune that evokes the emotions of heartbreak and longing to leave. The lyrics describe the aftermath of a breakup, with the singer waking up alone in bed where their partner used to lay. The line "Leavin' blues I can't stay here too long" reveals the singer's longing to move on from this heartbreak, a feeling that is only intensified by mistreatment.
The singer reveals that they sometimes turn to drinking to forget their heartbreak, but even with the knowledge that their mistreatment is taking a toll on their health they don't mind dying. Finally, the lyrics reveal that the singer is leaving with a shotgun on their shoulder and guns on their body, symbolizing their determination to leave and start anew.
Overall, the lyrics of "Leaving Blues" paint a picture of someone who has had enough of heartbreak and mistreatment, and is willing to do whatever it takes to move on and start anew. It's a classic blues tune that captures the essence of the pain and desperation that comes with heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up this morning at the break of day
I woke up early in the morning.
Just hugging the pillow where my rider used to lay
I was holding onto my pillow tightly where my lover used to sleep beside me.
Leavin' blues I can't stay here too long
I don't feel good being here and I need to leave soon.
I've been mistreated and I'm goin' home
I've been treated unfairly and I need to go back to where I feel safe.
I sometimes drink whisky, I sometimes drink wine
Sometimes I drink whiskey and sometimes I drink wine.
I've been mistreated and I don't mind dying
I've been treated unfairly and I don't care if I die.
I've got my 32-20 and my old .44
I have my guns, including a 32-20 and an old .44.
I got a shotgun on my shoulder, and I'm bound to go
I have a shotgun over my shoulder and I am determined to leave.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: D. C. COLLINS, J. WINTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind