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.
Mad Dog
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Owww, owww! Mad dog, yes mad dog
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
I'm foamin' at the mouth baby can't you see
I feel like rocking, won't you jump with me
I got a 20 dollar bill, a dime in change
The bad mad dog baby is my name
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
I'm with two-ton Tillie, glamour girl
Her big flat feet keep her on this world
Two tons of tissue, something to spare
The bad mad dog take it everywhere
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
I got a cut-off tie and some beat-up shoes
Holes in my pocket trying to lose this blues
Little skinny Minnie, she's in there too
She feels like jumping like the mad dog do
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
Owww, owww, owww!
(Instrumental and howling)
Well now I'm walls of thunder, rods of lighting you see
And no-one on Earth is gonna mess with me
A fancy on my feet doing any dance I can
The bad mad dog is travelling through your land
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
Mad dog, woo, mad dog
Owww, owww, mad dog
Mad dog mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
Ooh!
The song "Mad Dog" by Johnny Winter is a lively and energetic rock and roll song with lyrics that depict the wild and crazy antics of the titular character. The first verse begins with the loud and raucous repetition of "Mad dog, wooo! Mad dog, owww, owww!" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The lyrics go on to describe the singer's frenzied state of mind, with him foaming at the mouth and wanting to rock and jump with his companions. He boasts of having a 20 dollar bill and a dime in change, and assumes the identity of the "bad mad dog."
The second verse introduces two-ton Tillie, a glamour girl with big flat feet who is always by the singer's side. He describes her as having "two tons of tissue, something to spare," which adds to the overall sense of wildness and abandon in the song. The third verse continues in a similar vein, with the singer describing his beat-up shoes and pockets with holes in them, and mentioning little skinny Minnie who is also jumping like a mad dog. Finally, the song ends with an instrumental section and more howling, with the singer declaring himself to be "walls of thunder, rods of lightning" and proclaiming that the bad mad dog is traveling through the land.
Line by Line Meaning
Mad dog, wooo! Mad dog
The singer is a mad dog, and they're howling to announce their arrival.
Owww, owww! Mad dog, yes mad dog
Continuing with the same idea, the singer is making animal noises to show their wild nature.
Mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
The singer is repeating their identity as a 'mad dog' and emphasizing that they're approaching the listener's location.
I'm foamin' at the mouth baby can't you see
The artist is so excited and energetic that they're literally foaming at the mouth, and they're trying to persuade someone to join them in their craziness.
I feel like rocking, won't you jump with me
The artist wants to dance and have some fun, and they're inviting the listener to join in.
I got a 20 dollar bill, a dime in change
The singer has some money on them, but not a lot - just enough to get by.
The bad mad dog baby is my name
The singer has given themselves the nickname 'bad mad dog', perhaps to reflect their tough or wild personality.
I'm with two-ton Tillie, glamour girl
The artist is with someone they call 'two-ton Tillie', who they describe as a 'glamour girl' even though she's overweight.
Her big flat feet keep her on this world
The artist is saying that Tillie is so heavy that her feet feel flat and grounded, which is why she's still on Earth.
Two tons of tissue, something to spare
Tillie is so big that the artist jokingly suggests she has two tons of body tissue, and that there's still more to spare.
The bad mad dog take it everywhere
The singer is still referring to themselves as the 'bad mad dog', and they claim to take Tillie with them wherever they go.
I got a cut-off tie and some beat-up shoes
The artist's clothes aren't in the best condition - they have a tie that they've cut off, and their shoes are old and damaged.
Holes in my pocket trying to lose this blues
The singer is feeling sad or down, and they're trying to forget their problems by spending money - but they don't have much to spend since their pockets have holes.
Little skinny Minnie, she's in there too
The singer is also with someone they call 'little skinny Minnie', who is probably the opposite of Tillie in terms of her weight.
She feels like jumping like the mad dog do
Minnie is also in the mood to dance and have fun, just like the 'mad dog'.
Well now I'm walls of thunder, rods of lighting you see
The artist is getting more and more hyped up, and they're comparing their energy to the power of thunder and lightning.
And no-one on Earth is gonna mess with me
Because the artist feels so powerful and unstoppable, they believe that no one will try to challenge or stop them.
A fancy on my feet doing any dance I can
The singer is confident in their dance abilities and is willing to try any moves that come to mind.
The bad mad dog is travelling through your land
The singer is still referring to themselves as the 'bad mad dog', and they're letting the listener know that they're moving on to another location.
Mad dog, woo, mad dog
Another howl from the mad dog.
Owww, owww, mad dog
And another one.
Mad dog mad dog, mad dog coming down the way
A final confirmation of the artist's identity and movement.
Ooh!
A last exclamation of excitement before the song ends.
Contributed by Claire C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Louie Kelley
Johnny Winter is one in a million. Greatest ever.
Bill Ridge
I hate cats also
D.J. Nassar
@MDavid G Lollll Ain't that the truth Joe Perry (Aerosmith lead guitar player) said 1 in a billion.
MDavid G
Actually more like one in 300 million, given the world population.
Gerardo Thielen
What an incredible guitar player Johnny was!!!!
Prinse61
The video lasts over 12 minutes but I can easily watch it again and again. Simply amazing.
Midi Man
The original Bad Mad Dog guitar slinger !!! Truly 12 more minutes any guitar player will be proud to re-live. So many ways to solve the 12 bar problem and Johnny gives us about 326 of them right here. You must realize that Johnny only stops one tune in order to begin another.
Clairton Ribeiro
Eu sou brasileiro. Mas duvido que tenha alguem que goste mais de blues do que eu principalmente de um super grande como jhonny winter forte abraço a todos que curtem o rock e o blues. Deus abençoe a todos
Bill Ridge
My baby doll is from
Brazil. Most people
Are. Still into disco.She works for youtube. Constantly turns on to
Private filings of the
Champ.lucky me.
2 WAYS. She's the
Besr!
Per Malmgren
Vem kan lira Gura på det śätt Jonny. W.gör? Ingen . underbart 🤘💥🤓