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.
Route 90
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the land of dreams
Rollin' down Rt. Ninety, to New Orleans
Straight outta California to New Mexico
Gonna get a cup of coffee, in El Pas-o
Roll on through Comstock to San Antone
Gonna call my baby on the telephone
Stop in Beaumont Texas, for some barbeque
Hot links and hog ribs, fillet gumbo
At the Bon Ton drivein, that's the place to go
Then Jennings and Crowley, Lake Charles and Rain
When you get to Lafayette boy, you'll see 'em cuttin' cane.
In Morgan City, where the shrimp boats land
Put a nickle in the juke box, you'll hear a Cajun band
Ain't ya glad you come along, boy, to the land of dreams?
Rollin' down Rt. Ninety, to New Orleans.
Johnny Winter's Route 90 is a song that is an ode to the famous highway that stretches from California to Florida. In the song, Winter takes the listener on a road trip from California to New Orleans by way of Route 90. The route that Winter describes in the song is dotted with many interesting places such as El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and Beaumont Texas. In these places, Winter mentions various activities that he engages in like stopping for coffee and barbeque. He also highlights some of the unique delicacies in the area like hot links, hog ribs, and fillet gumbo.
Winter's description of the journey is accompanied by the sound of a blues-rock guitar and a harmonica that helps to create a carefree and relaxed mood that is typical of a road trip. The lyrics also portray a sense of adventure and freedom that are often associated with road trips. Winter's mention of Cajun music in Morgan City helps to create an atmosphere of cultural appreciation and celebration of diversity within the United States.
Overall, the lyrics of Johnny Winter's Route 90 are a tribute to the freedom, adventure, and cultural diversity that one can experience through a road trip in the US.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh wont you come with me
Asking someone to join him in a journey to a dreamland.
To the land of dreams
Refers to a place where anything seems possible and one can escape reality.
Rollin' down Rt. Ninety, to New Orleans
Traveling on highway 90 towards New Orleans.
Straight outta California to New Mexico
Driving from California to New Mexico on the way to New Orleans.
Gonna get a cup of coffee, in El Pas-o
Stopping in El Paso to get a cup of coffee.
Roll on through Comstock to San Antone
Driving through Comstock on the way to San Antonio.
Gonna call my baby on the telephone
Plans to call his significant other while on the road.
We'll pass through Katy and Houston too
Driving through Katy and Houston on the way to New Orleans.
Stop in Beaumont Texas, for some barbeque
Stopping in Beaumont to have some barbecue.
Hot links and hog ribs, fillet gumbo
Referring to some of the types of food that he will eat on his journey.
At the Bon Ton drivein, that's the place to go
A recommendation for a drive-in restaurant called Bon Ton.
Then Jennings and Crowley, Lake Charles and Rain
Driving through Jennings, Crowley, Lake Charles, and Rain on the way to New Orleans.
When you get to Lafayette boy, you'll see 'em cuttin' cane.
Referring to the sugarcane fields visible when arriving in Lafayette.
In Morgan City, where the shrimp boats land
Stopping in Morgan City where the shrimp boats dock.
Put a nickle in the juke box, you'll hear a Cajun band
Suggesting to put a nickel in a jukebox to listen to Cajun music.
Ain't ya glad you come along, boy, to the land of dreams?
Asking if he is happy to have come to the land of dreams on this journey.
Rollin' down Rt. Ninety, to New Orleans.
Reiterating the journey's destination towards New Orleans on route 90.
Contributed by Leah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.