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.
Mother Earth
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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You may never look my way
Mother Earth is layin' for you
That's the debt you got to pay
Don't care how great you are
I don't care what you're worth
'Cause when it all comes down
You may have a lot of money
Diamonds and pearls
You may have your own airplane
To fly all over this world
Don't care how great you are
Yeah don't care how much you're worth, don't care what you're worth
When it all winds up
You got to go back to Mother Earth
Mother Earth!
Mother Earth...
You may play the horses, baby
You may own your own race track
You may have enough money, darlin'
To buy anything you lack
Don't care how great you are
I don't care what you're worth, what you're worth
'Cause when it all comes down
You got to go back to Mother Earth
Yeah!
I like it
The lyrics to "Mother Earth" by Johnny Winter express a powerful message about the inevitability of death and reminds us that no matter how much success, wealth, or power one may have, they will ultimately have to return to the earth. The lines "You may high hat me all the time, You may never look my way" suggest that the subject of the song may be an arrogant, self-centered individual who thinks they are above everyone else. Despite this, Mother Earth is "layin' for you" and the debt must be repaid. This implies that there will be repercussions for one's actions and that ultimately, everyone is equal in the eyes of nature.
The repetition of the line "Don't care how great you are" emphasizes the idea that material possessions and status cannot save one from the finality of death. The lines "You may have a lot of money, Diamonds and pearls, You may have your own airplane, To fly all over this world" further emphasize this point. The song implies that one should not put too much emphasis on worldly possessions or status, but instead, focus on living a fulfilling life and leaving a positive impact on those around them.
Overall, "Mother Earth" is a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of treating others with kindness and respect, rather than solely focusing on personal gain.
Line by Line Meaning
You may high hat me all the time
You may treat me with conceit and arrogance without any reason or justification
You may never look my way
You may ignore me completely and not give me any attention or acknowledgment
Mother Earth is layin' for you
The natural world and its forces are waiting and watching, ready to balance out the deeds of human life
That's the debt you got to pay
This is the unavoidable price that every individual, regardless of status or achievements, must pay
Don't care how great you are
It does not matter how prestigious or renowned you are
I don't care what you're worth
I do not value or consider the material wealth or net worth you possess
'Cause when it all comes down
Because ultimately, in the end
You got to go back to Mother Earth
Every living being must return to the earth, their original source of creation and nourishment
You may have a lot of money
You may possess an abundance of financial resources
Diamonds and pearls
You may own extremely valuable and precious gems and jewelry
You may have your own airplane
You may have a private aircraft for your personal use
To fly all over this world
With which you can travel to any part of the world
You may play the horses, baby
You may enjoy horse racing, whether as a spectator or participant
You may own your own race track
You may have bought and own a private race track for your own use
You may have enough money, darlin'
You may have amassed a significant amount of wealth
To buy anything you lack
You have the capability to purchase anything that you think you need or desire
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.