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.
The Good Love
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do it and you better not tell, no no
I'd take a thousand trips for the givin' the good love
Woman says she love me
And that she don't understand
Gotta give all you got
To a good loving man
Try to touch my soul, yeah
Got to give me the good love
Give my life and let it be, yeah
You're gonna lose yourself
Out the help of the good love
Baby, say you're groovin'
Come on and groove some with me
Understand your life
That's the way things must be
I don't want to wreck nobody's soul
I just want to rock and roll, yeah, yeah, yeah
Rock and roll, man
It's alright, man
Oh, oh, oh
The song, The Good Love by Johnny Winter, is a soulful and upbeat track that yearns and pleads for the titular “good love”. As the lyrics suggest, the good love is not something that is easily found or attained. However, the singer insists that it is worth going to great lengths to acquire it. He defines the good love as a state of being when one lets go and surrenders themselves completely to a lover. The singer also emphasizes that it is important to keep the good love a secret, indicating that not everyone needs to know about one’s love life.
In the second verse, the singer delves into the concept of understanding one’s self and one’s place in the world. He believes that a good loving man is someone who provides the support and understanding necessary to achieve this level of self-awareness. He implores his partner to give herself completely to him, both in body and soul, so that he can better understand her and her desires. The singer’s desire for the good love is all-consuming and he insists that he does not want to hurt anyone but instead just wants to focus on rocking and rolling.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you heard of the good love
Have you heard of the true, passionate love between two people that is filled with giving and receiving?
Do it and you better not tell, no no
If you experience it, you better keep it secret because the good love should only be shared with two people.
I'd take a thousand trips for the givin' the good love
The love is worth taking thousands of trips for to experience it fully.
Woman says she loves me
The woman claims to love the artist.
And that she don't understand
The artist doesn't understand why the woman is not giving her all to him.
Gotta give all you got
The woman should give her all to the singer.
To a good loving man
The singer is a good man who deserves her love.
Let me feel you baby
The artist wants to physically feel her love for him.
Try to touch my soul, yeah
The artist wants her love to penetrate deep into his soul.
Got to give me the good love
The woman needs to give the artist the true, passionate love he deserves.
Give my life and let it be, yeah
The singer wants the woman to give him her love and devotion for life.
You're gonna lose yourself
Without the help of the good love, the woman will lose herself.
Out the help of the good love
The good love is necessary for the woman's emotional well-being.
Baby, say you're groovin'
The singer wants the woman to confirm that she is enjoying herself.
Come on and groove some with me
The singer wants the woman to join him in experiencing the good love together.
Understand your life
The artist wants the woman to understand her own life and what she wants from it.
That's the way things must be
Things must be in a way that works for both of them.
I don't want to wreck nobody's soul
The singer doesn't want to hurt anyone emotionally.
I just want to rock and roll, yeah, yeah, yeah
He just wants to have fun and enjoy life with his partner through rock and roll music.
Rock and roll, man
Rock and roll music is a part of the artist's life.
It's alright, man
Everything is okay.
Oh, oh, oh
Exclamation of feeling good.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: XAVIERA GOLD, RICARDO LENOIR, LARRY (USA 3) THOMPSON, GARY L WALLACE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Gainford
one of the finest albums ever - and in my humble opinion johnny was the equal of jimi hendrix - a bold statement in know - but thats how i feel
William Gainford
@Sam Beetler hendrix fanatics get very uptight!!! when u say such things lol - im a huge fan of both
Sam Beetler
More of a fact rather than a bold statement.
William Gainford
@Daniel Willametz didnt discover second winter till the 90s - bought it on the cover alone - so cool - hendrix / winter are both amazing guitarists
Daniel Willametz
I agree they were both my gods at the time i remember this album came out
Rudi van Starrex
Jimi and Johnny were brothers in music ..
hammerpop
One of the best blues riffs ever recorded! Way ahead of his time.
Pinoy Blues CyClers
RIP Johnny Winter...may the Blues be with us...all the Good Love you have..
Vidéocraque
When I hear him go "aaaaahh..... rock and roll, man!" at some point behind that stuff he churns out with the wah pedal, it gives me goose bumps and puts a huge smile on my face!
I love when the thing sort of dissolves into psychedelia in the outro: magnificent ambience and singing!
His best of the first three Columbia albums by far IMO, and one of the best rock albums of the formidable year 1969 (regardless of it featuring mostly covers).
My only quible is there's a little too much Edgar on some tracks - his double-tracked keyboards drown out Johnny's wonderful electric mandolin on the second song.
chris guy
I just love the second guitar dubbed into the background, also totaling out on the wah-wah. What a shame this band was taken apart so early.