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.
Tin Pan Alley
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The very place my baby loves to stay
Tin Pan Alley blues is killin' me
It's killin' me
I met a women down there
I really want to see
I just want to hold her in my arm for a little while
So that the Tin Pan Alley blues will let me be
Let me be
'Cause ?
If you only would agree
You see I love you for yourself
Your just the kind of women
That don't seam to care
Tin Pan Alley, baby must be your home
Well, nothing down there, baby
But blood and bones
Yes, yes
Tin Pan Alley, it's way across town
People like to kick the dog
When the sun goes down
Tell you baby
Please make it up in your mind
Because a women like you darling
Is sure hard to find
The lyrics of Johnny Winter's Tin Pan Alley describe a shady part of town where his lover likes to stay. He feels the emotional pain of Tin Pan Alley Blues which is destroying him deep down. The main character meets a woman in this area and he really wants to see her. She is young, beautiful, and wild. He is longing to hold her in his arms for a little while so that he could escape from the troubles of the world around him. He is desperately asking her to agree to be with him so that he could forget all about the Tin Pan Alley blues that are tearing him apart. He loves her for herself and believes that she is someone who doesn't seem to care.
The song is a representation of the emotions and pain experienced by those who are struggling in life. It describes the dark, shady side of the city where people go to seek their pleasures and forget their troubles. The singer wants to escape his reality by finding solace in his lover's arms. The song reflects the musician's deep appreciation of blues and the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Tin Pan Alley is a dirty place
The area referred to as Tin Pan Alley is unclean
The very place my baby loves to stay
My lover enjoys being in the unsanitary Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley blues is killin' me
The experiences of Tin Pan Alley are causing me emotional distress
It's killin' me
The agony of Tin Pan Alley is becoming unbearable
I met a woman down there
I encountered a lady in Tin Pan Alley
I really want to see
I wish to interact with her more
She little and cute, she's young and wild
She's small, attractive, full of energy and vitality
I just want to hold her in my arm for a little while
I desire to embrace her for a brief duration
So that the Tin Pan Alley blues will let me be
I hope that by doing so, the emotional weight of Tin Pan Alley will fade away
Let me be
Allow me to feel at peace
'Cause ?
Because if you do
If you only would agree
If only you would give in to our mutual attraction
You see I love you for yourself
I'm truly in love with who you are as a person
Your just the kind of women
You are exactly the kind of lady
That don't seam to care
Who doesn't seem to be worried about the conditions of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley, baby must be your home
It appears Tin Pan Alley is where you belong
Well, nothing down there, baby
That area is devoid of any luxuries or opportunities, honey
But blood and bones
It's filled with nothing but violence and death
Tin Pan Alley, it's way across town
Tin Pan Alley is located far away from where people usually go
People like to kick the dog
People often choose to take out their frustrations on something innocent and vulnerable
When the sun goes down
Usually at nighttime
Tell you baby
Let me tell you, dear
Please make it up in your mind
Make a thoughtful decision about us
Because a women like you darling
Because a woman as wonderful as you
Is sure hard to find
Is truly rare to come across
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SLIM LUANDREW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind