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.
Murdering Blues
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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Well I went down to Eli's
To get my pistol outta pawn
When I got back home
My woman had done gone
Yes I'm gonna murder my baby
Wooh, if she don't stop cheatin' and lyin'
Well I'd rather be in the penitentiary
Than to be worried out of my mind
Well I came home last night, it was about four o'clock
The little room-side joint in the rear had just begun to rock
I ease upside so I could get a better view
I see my woman, she was doin' the monkey too!
I said yes, I'm gonna murder my baby
Wooh, if she don't stop her cheatin' and lyin'
(Yeah I'm gonna hurt her this mornin')
'Cause I'd rather go to the penitentiary
Than to be worried outta my mind
Yeah, I don't mind goin', ya know!
[Instrumental]
Caught cheatin' and lyin'!
I'm gonna hurt her this mornin'
Look out woman!
[Instrumental]
I give her all of my money
Just tryin' to be nice and kind
She spent it all on her whiskey
Oh yes, and beer and wine
I said yes, I'm gonna murder my baby
Wooh, if she don't stop cheatin' and lyin'
(Oh I'm gonna put a hurtin' on that woman!)
I'd rather go to the penitentiary
Than to be worried outta my mind
[Instrumental]
The lyrics of Johnny Winter’s song “Murdering Blues” relate to a man who is fed up with his woman's cheating and lying, and has decided to take justice into his own hands by planning to murder her. The man had taken his pistol out of pawn in preparation of the act, but when he got back home, he discovered that she had left. He is now determined to carry out the act if he sees her again. The singer is resigned to going to the penitentiary rather than continue to be worried about her infidelity.
The story continues as the singer comes back home and finds that his woman has been cheating on him with someone at a little room-side joint. While he watches her dance, he promises himself that he will hurt her badly in the morning. He has given her all his money, but she spends it on whiskey, beer, and wine. He's lost hope in their relationship and is happy to go to prison if that's what it takes to get away from her.
The song conveys the man's frustration and anguish, which ultimately lead to his determination to take the law into his own hands. It's a narrative song that captures the blues experience of betrayal, infidelity, and the anger and violence that come with it. Winter's playing is excellent, with his guitar reinforcing the frustration and anger that the singer feels. It is a song that evokes a lot of emotions and does an excellent job of telling the story of the singer's frustration.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I went down to Eli's
To get my pistol outta pawn
When I got back home
My woman had done gone
The singer went to retrieve his pistol, but upon returning home, discovered that his partner had left him.
Yes I'm gonna murder my baby
Wooh, if she don't stop cheatin' and lyin'
(I'm gonna put a hurtin' on this woman)
Well I'd rather be in the penitentiary
Than to be worried out of my mind
If his partner continues to cheat and lie, the singer intends to hurt or kill them because he would rather be in prison than deal with the emotional trauma caused by their behavior.
Well I came home last night, it was about four o'clock
The little room-side joint in the rear had just begun to rock
I ease upside so I could get a better view
I see my woman, she was doin' the monkey too!
The singer returned home to find his partner engaging in sexual activity with someone else.
I give her all of my money
Just tryin' to be nice and kind
She spent it all on her whiskey
Oh yes, and beer and wine
The artist gave his partner money out of kindness, but she spent it all on alcohol.
Yeah, I don't mind goin', ya know!
The artist is willing to go to prison if it means not having to deal with the stress of their partner's infidelity and lies.
Caught cheatin' and lyin'!
I'm gonna hurt her this mornin'
Look out woman!
The singer caught his partner cheating and lying and intends to harm her in the morning.
I said yes, I'm gonna murder my baby
Wooh, if she don't stop cheatin' and lyin'
(Oh I'm gonna put a hurtin' on that woman!)
I'd rather go to the penitentiary
Than to be worried outta my mind
The singer reiterates that he will harm or kill his partner if she doesn't stop lying and cheating because he would rather be in prison than deal with the stress and heartache caused by her actions.
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.