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.
Show Me
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I feel good when I play blues
Man, I make my living feeling rotten
But I feel good when I play blues
In this world of contradictions
What can a poor boy do?
Some folks say you can't sing blues
I guess when things are lousy
I ought to knock on wood
I make my living feeling rotten
But I feel good when I play blues
In this world of contradictions
Man, what can a poor boy do?
I guess the worst things get
The better they must be
This mixed up way of thinking
Man, is killing me
I make my living feeling rotten
But I feel good when I play blues, yes, I do
In this world of contradictions
What can a poor boy do? Yeah, what can I do? Oh
Well, if I feel a little bit better
I'll probably go broke
It' enough to give a man the blues
And man, that ain't no joke
I make my living feeling rotten
I feel good when I play blues
Well, in this world of contradictions
What can a poor boy do?
The lyrics to Johnny Winter's "Show Me" speak to the contradictory nature of life and the artist's relationship with his craft. The line "I make my living feeling rotten, but I feel good when I play blues" can be interpreted as the artist acknowledging the hardships and struggles he faces in his daily life, but finding solace and comfort in his music. The line "some folks say you can't sing blues when you're feeling good" can be seen as a commentary on the idea that the best blues music comes from a place of pain and hardship.
The artist's struggle to reconcile his love for blues music with the difficulties of his life is a common theme in many blues songs. The line "what can a poor boy do?" speaks to the idea that sometimes in life we are faced with insurmountable obstacles that we must try to overcome despite our limitations. The contradictory nature of the lyrics speaks to the idea that sometimes in life we must embrace the contradictions and find beauty in the struggle.
Overall, "Show Me" is a song about the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world filled with contradictions and difficulties. The artist finds solace and comfort in his music, even though he acknowledges the harsh realities of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
I make my living feeling rotten
Despite feeling bad about his work, the singer still earns a living from playing the blues.
But I feel good when I play blues
Despite not enjoying his work, the singer finds personal satisfaction in playing music.
Man, I make my living feeling rotten
The singer emphasizes the difficulty of his profession with the interjection 'Man.'
In this world of contradictions
The singer acknowledges that the world can be confusing and contradictory at times.
What can a poor boy do?
The singer poses a rhetorical question, wondering what options he has as someone who may not have many options.
Some folks say you can't sing blues
The singer acknowledges that people have certain expectations of what the blues should be about.
When you're feeling good
The singer implies that people may not believe he can sing the blues if he is not suffering.
I guess when things are lousy
The singer concedes that maybe he needs to be struggling to create authentic blues music.
I ought to knock on wood
The singer references the superstitious act of knocking on wood to potentially avoid bad luck.
Man, what can a poor boy do?
The singer repeats his question, emphasizing his feelings of powerlessness.
I guess the worst things get
The singer begins to comment on the idea that when things are bad, they can also be good.
The better they must be
Continuing on this idea, the singer suggests that good things may come out of difficult situations.
This mixed up way of thinking
The singer recognizes that this type of thinking is not necessarily logical.
Man, is killing me
The singer laments the mental toll of these contradictory thoughts.
But I feel good when I play blues, yes, I do
The singer reiterates that playing music brings him joy.
What can a poor boy do? Yeah, what can I do? Oh
The singer continues to express his sense of powerlessness.
Well, if I feel a little bit better
The singer entertains the idea that he may feel better about his work someday.
I'll probably go broke
However, he worries that financial success may not come with personal satisfaction.
It' enough to give a man the blues
The singer comments on the frustrating irony of this situation.
And man, that ain't no joke
The singer emphasizes the seriousness of the situation he describes.
Well, in this world of contradictions
The singer brings the listener back to the main theme of the song.
What can a poor boy do?
He wonders once again what options he may have in this confusing world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIMBERLEY KENNETH BENZIE, STEWART ALEXANDER HILL, LUKE WILLIAMS, LUKE JAMES PALMER, CLINTON JAMES VINCENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Giants588
The late, great JW with another outstanding tune this time from the Winter of 88, he was AMAZING,,,,,,, RIP!!!!!!!
EXPORT1867
I would love to hear these recordings the way Johnny wanted to hear them. He said in a interview that the producer put all kinds of reverb on the the drums and the whole recording. but it showed a different side of Johnny's playing. Just listen to Rain or Anything for your love. johnny could solo fast with melody over any thing and you could tell thats johnny winter.
green323turbo
Ya the producer Terry Manning was trying to make it sound like ZZ Top . He added sampled drums triggered by the real drum beat.
John Raymond
And still powerful here in the winter of 2021 in Texas
Blues from here will be around for eternity.
Louis Miranda
GREAT SONG RIP JOHHNY
Sun Blues
Great song!!!
ken Hopkins
Loved this Album , had it on tape and it got chewed .
xkecoupe
on of his best LP-s.
Cecilio Arredondo
El album donde viene esta rola es exelente.
Theresa Dmytriw
Whooo‼️🎶🎶🔥👏🏻