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.
My Time After Awhile
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ohh but it's gonna be mine after awhile
I said it's your time right now baby
Lord but it's gonna be mine after awhile
You know you know if things don't change
I'm gonna move on down
She stayed out last night
The girl is gettin' ready
She's going back out again
I said just wait one minute
Just before you go
She didn't even look at me
She just turned and walked out the door
It's your time, it's your time, it's your time right now
Ohh, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta feelin'
Ohh it's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna be my time after awhile
I got a look through my window
And guess what I seen
My baby sat with another man
In a long black limosine
I said it's your time, it's your time
Yes you know I, you know I got that feelin' woman
Baby it's gonna be my time after awhile
I just wanna talk to my baby
And here's what I wanna say
Go ahead on and mistreat me
But every every dog got his day wow
Somebody better come here and get me baby
I just want to talk to my baby
In this song, Johnny Winter sings about a relationship that has reached its breaking point. He tells his partner that it may be her time now, but it will soon be his time after a while. He has had enough of her mistreatment and behavior, and if things don't change, he will move on. He confronts her about staying out late and walking back in to get ready to go out again without even acknowledging him. He sees her with another man, and the realization hits him that his time will come, and she will get what's coming to her.
The lyrics use metaphorical language to describe the relationship. Winter talks about time as though it is a tangible thing that can be owned or taken. The line, "It's your time now baby, but it's gonna be mine after awhile," suggests that he has been patient and waiting for his time to come. He also likens himself to a dog, saying "every dog has his day," implying that he has been mistreated by his partner and that he will eventually have his turn to come out on top.
The song's lyrics showcase the frustrations and disappointments of a relationship that has gone sour. Winter's rough vocals match the intensity of the lyrics and express the pain he feels. It's a bluesy tune that captures the heartbreak of a love that has reached its end.
Line by Line Meaning
It's your time now baby
This is your moment, but it will soon be mine.
Ohh but it's gonna be mine after awhile
I will have my own moment soon enough.
I said it's your time right now baby
This is still your moment, at least for now.
Lord but it's gonna be mine after awhile
Mine is soon to come, too.
You know you know if things don't change
The current situation won't last forever.
I'm gonna move on down
I'll be moving on soon, if things don't improve.
She stayed out last night
My lover wasn't home last night.
And do you know she just walked in
She finally returned, but not for long.
The girl is gettin' ready
She's getting ready to leave again.
She's going back out again
She's leaving again, so soon after coming back.
I said just wait one minute
I wanted to have a conversation with her before she left.
Just before you go
I wanted to talk to her before she left once again.
She didn't even look at me
She ignored me completely.
She just turned and walked out the door
She left without acknowledging me.
It's your time, it's your time, it's your time right now
It's still your moment, for now.
Ohh, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta feelin'
I have a strong intuition about what's to come.
Ohh it's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna be my time after awhile
My time will come soon.
I got a look through my window
I saw something surprising.
And guess what I seen
I saw something unexpected.
My baby sat with another man
My lover was with someone else.
In a long black limousine
They were in an extravagant vehicle.
Yes you know I, you know I got that feelin' woman
I still have that strong intuition about what's to come.
Baby it's gonna be my time after awhile
I will have my own moment, despite what's happening now.
I just wanna talk to my baby
I want a chance to communicate with my lover.
And here's what I wanna say
I have something important to share with them.
Go ahead on and mistreat me
You can continue treating me badly if you want.
But every every dog got his day wow
But eventually, even the underdog comes out on top.
Somebody better come here and get me baby
I'm feeling helpless and unsure of what to do now.
Contributed by Lily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.