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.
Living In The Blues
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Catchin' up on all my dues
All the games that I had played
Man I finally got them paid
Makin' out is such a drag
Livin' round just ain't my bag
But stayin alone is the thing to do
And I, when you're livin' in the blues yeah
Cigarettes by the case
Blended gently with the taste
Once helped to pass my time
Made my pillow feel so kind
But as my end draws slowly closer
I feel my life was already over
It's so easy to lose when you're
Livin' in the blues yeah
Livin' in the blues
Catchin' up on all my dues
All the games that I had played
Man I finally got them paid
But as my end draws slowly closer
I feel my life was already over
It's so easy to lose when you're
Livin' in the blues yeah
In Johnny Winter's song Living In The Blues, he talks about his life and what it's like to live a life full of regrets and mistakes. The lyrics suggest that he's paid the price for all the games he played, and now he's catching up on all his dues, which could refer to the consequences he faced due to his past actions. Winter mentions how he finds making out boring and how he's not interested in living an ordinary life. He then talks about how he finds it better to stay alone even though it may be a lonely life which he associates with the blues.
Winter talks about his use of cigarettes as a coping mechanism, which only added to his problems like how it made him feel like his life had been wasted. As the song progresses, the lyrics suggest that Winter's end is slowly approaching, and he feels like his life is already over. The song portrays that it's easy to lose or end up in a position like Winter's when one's life consists of living in the blues.
Line by Line Meaning
Livin' in the blues
I am living a sad, melancholic life.
Catchin' up on all my dues
I am paying the consequences for all the mistakes I have made in the past.
All the games that I had played
I used to manipulate people and situations to my advantage without thinking of the consequences.
Man I finally got them paid
I am now facing the consequences of my past actions.
Makin' out is such a drag
I don't enjoy engaging in romantic or sexual activities with other people.
Livin' round just ain't my bag
I don't enjoy being around people and prefer being alone.
But stayin alone is the thing to do
Being alone is the best option for me at this point in my life.
And I, when you're livin' in the blues yeah
Living in this sad state makes it difficult to be happy or find joy in life.
Cigarettes by the case
I used to smoke excessively to cope with my problems.
Blended gently with the taste
I enjoyed the flavor of the cigarettes I smoked.
Once helped to pass my time
Smoking cigarettes used to help me kill time or distract myself.
Made my pillow feel so kind
Smoking cigarettes used to help me relax and sleep better at night.
But as my end draws slowly closer
As I get older, I am becoming more aware of my own mortality.
I feel my life was already over
I feel like I have wasted my life and haven't accomplished much.
It's so easy to lose when you're Livin' in the blues yeah
It's easy to become trapped in a sad and lonely state of mind.
Contributed by Gabriella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
LaXihuatl
This jam is giving me life! LOVE it
918Venice
Stayed true.....always
Youri Carma
It's so easy to lose when you're
Livin' in the blues yeah!
Snoop Stock
Summer must end, and (Johnny) Winter must begin!
FER DINAND
...doesnt matter if you feel your life Is already over ....JOHNNY YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER
mark horton
Man that is the darkest song I’ve ever heard
Dag Ingebrigtsen
Prolongs life
Eltamir
Sounds like Edgar is playing a Vox Continental on this.
William Shrader
This one