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.
Mojo Boogie
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I been to New Orleans, I sure had a wonderful time
I was high, high as a Georgia pine
You know the gypsy carried me all down on Rampart Street
I seen everybody that I wanted to meet
She said, "Hey Johnny, stop and listen to me,
They got something to knock you off of your feet
It's called the mojo boogie
It's called the mojo boogie
You know the mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
I thought she was teachin' me a brand-new way
I said, gypsy tell me, tell me what to say
They got the Louisiana boogie, and the other kind of thing
They even got the thing they call the mojo hand
They got the mojo boogie
They call that mojo boogie
You know that mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
Slide on down
I got me a mojo, man it sure is crazy
The gypsy forgot to teach me, just how to operate it
I went to a night club, I was squeezin' it tight
I know that was the cause of them people startin' to fight
It was the mojo boogie
Must have been that mojo boogie
It was that mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
Yeah it was the mojo boogie
I had the mojo boogie
It was that mojo boogie
Gotta be that mojo boogie
It was that mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
The lyrics to Johnny Winter's song "Mojo Boogie" are a lively description of his experiences in New Orleans. He describes being high, as high as a Georgia pine, when he encounters a gypsy on Rampart Street. The gypsy introduces him to the mojo boogie, which she says will knock him off his feet. Johnny is excited to learn this new dance and asks the gypsy to show him how. She tells him about the Louisiana boogie and the mojo hand, which further piques his interest.
He's excited to have his own mojo, but he doesn't really know how to use it. When he takes it to a nightclub, he ends up causing a fight by squeezing it too tight. The song is both a joyful celebration of New Orleans culture and a cautionary tale about the power of the mojo.
The lyrics are also filled with references to African American spiritual beliefs, particularly the concept of "mojo," which is a kind of magical charm or spell. The mojo is often said to have the power to bring good luck, protect against danger, or bring about desired outcomes. In the song, Johnny Winter views the mojo as a source of power, but he also recognizes its potential for danger when it's not used correctly.
Overall, "Mojo Boogie" is a lively blues song that celebrates the traditions of New Orleans culture while weaving in themes of magic, spirituality, and the power of music.
Line by Line Meaning
I been to New Orleans, I sure had a wonderful time
I've visited New Orleans before and it was a great experience
I was high, high as a Georgia pine
I was really high, probably from drinking and/or drugs
You know the gypsy carried me all down on Rampart Street
A gypsy woman led me down Rampart Street
I seen everybody that I wanted to meet
I saw everyone I wanted to meet while in New Orleans
She said, "Hey Johnny, stop and listen to me, They got something to knock you off of your feet
The gypsy woman stopped me and told me about something amazing
It's called the mojo boogie
The amazing thing she's talking about is called the mojo boogie
You know the mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
The mojo boogie is starting to take over
I said, gypsy tell me, tell me what to say
I asked the gypsy woman for more information about the mojo boogie
They even got the thing they call the mojo hand
There's even a physical item associated with the mojo boogie called the mojo hand
I got me a mojo, man it sure is crazy
I acquired a mojo hand and it's having a powerful effect on me
I went to a night club, I was squeezin' it tight
I went to a nightclub and was holding onto the mojo hand tightly
It was that mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
The mojo boogie was taking over again
Yeah it was the mojo boogie, I had the mojo boogie, It was that mojo boogie, Gotta be that mojo boogie, It was that mojo boogie, begin to slide on down
The mojo boogie is still taking over and I can't resist its power
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: J. B. LENOIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind