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.
Tribute to Muddy
Johnny Winter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Answer's the nickel, a deep blues sea
I tore all the good looking women somewhere
Sure enough baby that's me, 'cause it's gonna happen
Lord my mother, well so as my father
About three months long before I was born
Said I got a boy child coming
Lord I'm gonna get a rolling stone man
Lord I'm broke
Lord I'm broke
Now I reckon I better do
Lord if I clean up little girls
Then I go home with you
Yeah man I'm gonna walk
Woah, Lord it's true, two things running
Lord I believe you're the worst child in my way
We're gonna watch them run at midnight
But the one that's running just gonna lie dead
Lord she's lone yeah and she's tall
Lord she weeps like a banshee
Lord the folks they say she's no good
But she's all right with me, 'cause I'll be right there
Woah, ho, ho
Somebody help me, help me, I always lose
Lord see if the girl don't love the man you know
That's when I do the voodoos
Ah, don't make you hurt honey
The lyrics to Johnny Winter's "Tribute to Muddy" seem to be a series of musings on life, love, and being a "rolling stone." The song begins with the singer wishing and wondering about what might happen next in his life. He then sings about how his parents predicted that he would be a rolling stone, a wanderer who is always moving and never quite settling down. The chorus of "Lord I'm broke" seems to be a lament for a lack of direction and stability.
As the song goes on, the singer mentions a woman who is "lone yeah and she's tall" and apparently not well thought of by others, but whom he still finds appealing. He also references some kind of race or competition where someone will end up dead. The final verse seems to suggest that the singer turns to voodoo magic to win over a woman who does not love him back.
The lyrics overall have a dreamy, somewhat mysterious quality to them, and it can be hard to pin down a concrete narrative or message. However, they do capture some of the restlessness and longing that are hallmarks of the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Woah, Lord I wish, Lord I wonder what happens
I am wondering about the mysteries of the world and what could be in store for me.
Answer's the nickel, a deep blues sea
The answer to my question is hidden deep within the dark and emotional blues music.
I tore all the good looking women somewhere
I have been with many beautiful women in various places.
Sure enough baby that's me, 'cause it's gonna happen
Yes, that is who I am and it is inevitable.
Lord my mother, well so as my father
Both my mother and father predicted my rebellious and wandering nature before I was born.
About three months long before I was born
This prediction was made three months before my birth.
Said I got a boy child coming
They said I would have a son.
Sure enough it gonna be a rolling stone
And that he would be a restless and wandering soul.
Lord I'm gonna get a rolling stone man
I am determined to live my life as a restless wanderer, just like my son will be.
Lord I'm broke
I am currently experiencing financial difficulties.
Now I reckon I better do
I should take some action to address my financial problems.
Lord if I clean up little girls
I could potentially make some money by having relationships with young women.
Then I go home with you
But I would rather be with you and share a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
Yeah man I'm gonna walk
I will get through these difficult times by persevering and moving forward.
Woah, Lord it's true, two things running
It is a fact that two things cannot run at once.
Lord I believe you're the worst child in my way
I think you, the person I am addressing, are the biggest obstacle in my path.
We're gonna watch them run at midnight
We will stay up late and watch as these events unfold.
But the one that's running just gonna lie dead
But ultimately, one of the runners will be unsuccessful and will ultimately fail.
Lord she's lone yeah and she's tall
There is a woman who is alone and stands out in a crowd due to her height.
Lord she weeps like a banshee
She cries in a loud and eerie manner, like a banshee from Irish folklore.
Lord the folks they say she's no good
Other people may judge her harshly and believe she is not a good person.
But she's all right with me, 'cause I'll be right there
But I do not share this opinion because I will always support her and be by her side.
Woah, ho, ho
Expressing excitement and joy.
Somebody help me, help me, I always lose
I am expressing my feelings of helplessness and lack of success in life.
Lord see if the girl don't love the man you know
If a girl does not love a man, there is nothing that can be done about it.
That's when I do the voodoos
I resort to mystical and unorthodox methods in hopes of changing her feelings.
Ah, don't make you hurt honey
I am reassuring and comforting someone, likely the girl mentioned in the previous stanza.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHNNY WINTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind