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.
Shed So Many Tears
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll never let you go
So forget it that you're leaving
I'll follow you wherever you go
When I first met you little darling
You know I gave my love to you
Now I'm giving new love to my darling
(Instrumental)
When I first met you little darling
You know I gave my love to you
Now I'm giving new love to my darling
Tell me what are we gonna do
We've been together so long dear
We've been together for so many years
Now you're going to leave me darling
You know I'll shed so many tears
The lyrics of Johnny Winter's song "Shed So Many Tears" is a depiction of a man trying to convince his lover not to leave him. He expresses his love for her and how he'll never let her go. The first few lines of the song emphasize his determination to follow her wherever she goes, indicating that his love for her is unconditional. The repetition of the words "little darling" adds to the affectionate tone of the song, as if he is pleading to her.
The verse, "When I first met you little darling, you know I gave my love to you. Now, I'm giving new love to my darling, tell me what are we gonna do," suggests that the singer had given his all to the woman before and is now willing to offer her something more. However, he seems unsure of her feelings towards him and the situation, leading to his desperate plea for answers. The use of an instrumental signifies his emotions that he's unable to express in words and adds depth to the song.
The chorus of the song,"We've been together so long dear, we've been together for so many years, now you're going to leave me darling, you know I'll shed so many tears," is an emotional lament of the singer. Winter sings with heart-wrenching conviction, emphasizing the pain he'd feel if she were to leave him. The use of 'darling' once again adds to the heartfelt nature of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling you know I love you so
My love for you is like an undying flame.
And I'll never let you go
You are my soulmate forever, and I will never let you go.
So forget it that you're leaving
Even though you are talking about leaving me, I refuse to believe it.
I'll follow you wherever you go
If you do leave me, I will follow you wherever you go.
When I first met you little darling
I remember when our love first began.
You know I gave my love to you
I have always loved you with all my heart.
Now I'm giving new love to my darling
I am trying to rekindle our love with a fresh start.
Tell me what are we gonna do
I want to work together to find a solution to our problems.
We've been together so long dear
Our love has stood the test of time.
We've been together for so many years
Our love has endured and persevered for a long time.
Now you're going to leave me darling
But now it seems like everything is falling apart.
You know I'll shed so many tears
Losing you would cause me indescribable heartbreak and sadness.
Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.