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.
Spoonful
Johnny Winter Lyrics
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It could be a spoonful of tea
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
It could be a spoonful of water
To save you from the desert sand
But one spoon of love1 from my forty-five
Will save you from another man
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
It could be a spoonful of sugar
It could be a spoonful of tea
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
It could be a spoonful of sugar
It could be a spoonful of tea
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
In Johnny Winter's song "Spoonful," the singer speaks about the power of love and how it is like a spoonful that can save them from their troubles. The singer seems to have experienced this love himself and compares it to different forms of sustenance like coffee, tea, water, and sugar, but ultimately concludes that one little spoon of his lover's love is all that he needs. The lyrics also mention that men have lied, cried, fought, and died over this spoonful of love, underscoring the significance and value placed upon it.
At its core, this song is about the transformative power of love and the importance of having it in our lives. The spoonful is a metaphor that suggests that even a small amount of love can go a long way in nourishing our hearts and souls. The song also explores the lengths to which people will go to obtain this love, as the line "everybody fights about a spoonful" suggests that it can be a source of conflict and competition.
Line by Line Meaning
It could be a spoonful of coffee
My love's essence is as stimulating as coffee.
It could be a spoonful of tea
My love has the same relieving effect as tea.
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
I only need a small amount of your love to thrive and be content.
Men lie about that spoonful
Some men falsely boast about the amount of love they receive.
Some cry about that spoonful
Others wail and beg for love they don't have and can't attain.
Some die about that spoonful
A small minority will suffer and perish because of lack or loss of love.
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
Most people crave, pursue and compete all for a tiny drop of love.
It could be a spoonful of water
To save you from the desert sand
Love can be as life-giving and essential as water in the midst of hardship.
But one spoon of love1 from my forty-five
Will save you from another man
My love will defend and preserve you from the threats of another man.
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
The scanty but powerful love is irreplaceable no matter the type of situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind