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.
Please Come Home for Christmas
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues
My baby's gone I have no friends
To wish me greetings once again
Choirs will be singing Silent Night
Christmas carols by candle light
Please come home for Christmas
If not for Christmas by New Years night
Friends and relations
Send salutations
Sure as the stars shine above
But this is Christmas
Yeah, it's Christmas my dear
It's the time of year to be with the one you love
So won't you tell me
You'll never more roam
Christmas and New Year
Will find you home
There be no more sorrow
No grief and pain
And I'll be happy, happy, once again
Oh, there be no more sorrow
No grief and pain
And I'll be happy, Christmas, once again
The song "Please Come Home for Christmas" by Johnny Winter is a Christmas classic that depicts a man's sadness during the holiday season due to his lover's absence. The lyrics of the song paint a picture of a lonely man who is going through a rough time as he misses his loved one. He is pleading with his lover to come back for Christmas, which is supposed to be a time of love and joy. The first verse starts with "Bells will be ringing this sad sad news, Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues," this line suggests that the man is feeling very sad and lonely.
The chorus of the song is particularly emotional as it is where the singer requests that his lover return home for Christmas. He hopes that he will not have to go through the holiday season alone. "Please come home for Christmas, if not for Christmas by New Year's night." This chorus is an emotional plea from the singer to his lover. He is alone and wishes for her to return so that they can share happy times during the festive season.
In the final verse, the singer says, "There be no more sorrow, no grief, and pain, and I'll be happy, Christmas, once again". This line portrays the sadness of the singer as he longs for the return of his lover. The song is very emotive and soulful, and the lyrics capture the essence of Christmas for those who are lonely and unable to celebrate it with the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Bells will be ringing this sad sad news
The bells will ring the sad news of my loved one's absence, adding to my sadness on Christmas
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues
Having the blues on Christmas feels particularly awful
My baby's gone I have no friends
Since my baby left me, I have no friends to wish me holiday greetings
To wish me greetings once again
My lack of friends means I won't receive the holiday greetings I used to get from those close to me
Choirs will be singing Silent Night
Even though the choirs will be singing Silent Night, it won't make up for the absence of my loved one
Christmas carols by candle light
The traditional Christmas carols sung by candlelight won't bring my loved one back
Please come home for Christmas
I'm begging my loved one to come home for Christmas
If not for Christmas by New Years night
If you can't make it back for Christmas, I hope you'll be home by New Year's night
Friends and relations
My friends and family are trying to reach out to me
Send salutations
They're sending me their well wishes for the holidays
Sure as the stars shine above
Their greetings are just as reliable as the stars shining above
But this is Christmas
However, it's just not the same without my loved one here
Yeah, it's Christmas my dear
Despite the sadness, it's indeed Christmas time
It's the time of year to be with the one you love
The holiday season should be spent with the person you love
So won't you tell me
I'm pleading with my loved one
You'll never more roam
To promise me that they'll never leave me again
Christmas and New Year
The holiday season
Will find you home
I hope it'll bring them back home to me
There be no more sorrow
If they're back with me, there'll be no more sadness
No grief and pain
And I won't feel the grief and pain brought upon by their absence
And I'll be happy, happy, once again
Their return home will bring me happiness once again
Oh, there be no more sorrow
The sadness will be gone
And I'll be happy, Christmas, once again
And I'll be filled with the joy of the holiday season once again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Mose Brown, Gene Redd
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrey Boone
one of the greatest blues musicians of all time. been listening to him for many, many years and will continue to do so.
Lane Nordgren
Dad got me into Johnny. I'm 61. Probably saw him a dozen times from stadiums to small clubs. Just the greatest slide player ever. An American legend.
horsluva0758
Amen Totally agree and I do too :)
Sharon Bre
This tune never gets old. Love, love, love the Winter brothers.
Sharon Bre
The falsetto, the deep growl really make these brothers excellent vocalists.
Margeir Ólafsson
Johnny Winter is Gone But NEVER forgotten.....Rest In Peace...
Moe's Guitars
My favorite version still. Merry Christmas to everyone.
Angelika Stäheli
2020 now... Again it is christmas... Merry Christmas to everyone🎄♥️🎁!
horsluva0758
Mine too!!!
jmp816
Such an incredible version of this song, showing the remarkable talent of these two musical geniuses.