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.
Maybellene
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Mabellene in a Coup de Ville
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
The Cadillac doin' about ninety-five
Maybellene
The Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It then got cloudy and started to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood
I know that I was doin' my motor good
Maybellene
[Solo guitar]
Maybellene
The motor cooled down the heat went down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
The Cadillac asittin' like a ton of lead
A hundred and ten half a mile aheadv The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Mabellene at the top of the hill
Maybellene
[Solo guitar]
Maybellene
Maybellene, why can't you be true
Oh Mabellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Mabellene in a Coup de Ville
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
The Cadillac doin' about ninety-five
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side
Maybellene
The Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It then got cloudy and started to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood
I know that I was doin' my motor good
Maybellene
[Solo guitar]
Maybellene
The motor cooled down the heat went down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
The Cadillac asittin' like a ton of lead
A hundred and ten half a mile ahead
The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Maybellene at the top of the hill
Maybellene
[Solo guitar]
Maybellene
"Maybellene" is a classic rock and roll song by Johnny Winter that tells the story of a car chase involving the singer and a woman named Maybellene. The lyrics begin by addressing Maybellene, asking why she can't be true, suggesting that she has started doing things she used to do. As the singer is driving over the hill, he sees Maybellene in a Cadillac, and the chase begins. The Cadillac is doing ninety-five and is bumper to bumper with the singer's V8 Ford. The chase continues until the Ford overheats and slows down, and the Cadillac pulls ahead. The singer then catches up to Maybellene at the top of the hill.
The song is about teenage rebellion, fast cars, and the pursuit of love. The lyrics talk about the thrill of the chase and the excitement of pushing their cars to the limit. The story is intense and fast-paced, perfectly matching the rock and roll beat of the song. Maybellene represents a rebellious woman who is doing things she shouldn't be doing, and the singer is trying to keep up with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybellene, why can't you be true
Johnny wonders why Maybellene can't be honest and true
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true
Johnny reiterates his confusion and frustration with Maybellene's dishonesty
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
Maybellene has gone back to her old ways, which Johnny sees as deceptive
As I was motivatin' over the hill
Johnny was driving over a hill, likely feeling excited and motivated
I saw Mabellene in a Coup de Ville
Johnny noticed Maybellene driving a Coup de Ville
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Maybellene was driving her Cadillac on a wide, unobstructed road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
Johnny believes that his V8 Ford can outrun any car, including Maybellene's Cadillac
The Cadillac doin' about ninety-five
Maybellene was driving around 95 miles per hour in her Cadillac
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side
Maybellene was driving right next to Johnny's Ford in a tight formation
The Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
Maybellene's Cadillac surpassed Johnny's Ford in speed
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
Johnny's Ford's engine overheated, causing it to stop functioning
It then got cloudy and started to rain
The weather quickly turned cloudy and began to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
Johnny honked his horn to signal to other drivers that he wanted to get past them
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood
The rain was hitting the engine of the Ford, which was still overheated
I know that I was doin' my motor good
Johnny believes that driving in the rain could help cool his Ford's engine down
The motor cooled down the heat went down
The rain successfully helped cool Johnny's Ford's engine down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
As soon as the engine cooled down, Johnny heard the sounds of the highway again
The Cadillac asittin' like a ton of lead
Maybellene's Cadillac was sitting stationary like a heavy weight
A hundred and ten half a mile ahead
Maybellene's Cadillac was a half mile ahead of Johnny's Ford, and had been traveling at 110 miles per hour
The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
Despite driving quickly, the Cadillac appeared to be moving slowly compared to how fast it had been traveling earlier
And I caught Mabellene at the top of the hill
Johnny was able to catch up to Maybellene at the top of a hill, likely due to his Ford's engine cooling down
Contributed by Evelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.