November '69 saw the blues scene heating up. Johnny Winter, the Texas tornado, blew the roof off Fillmore East with his scorching guitar. Lonnie Mack, the Memphis man, returned to the spotlight after years on the road, ready to reclaim his throne. Critics buzzed, comparing the two, but Mack remained unfazed, focused on his music. He had paid his dues, playing in converted airplane hangars and Midwest ballrooms, and now his time had come.
He comes on stage, guitar slung low, all in black — ready to rip off some of the meanest, most aggressive, music imaginable. It’s blues, it’s rock, it hardly matters. The proportions of the man aren’t measured categorically. The past must’ve been intense, it must’ve have seared him .... a freak when that wasn’t stylish, when that was horrifying.
The promotion man for Fillmore East chose Johnny Winter knowing that critics would turn out for Winter and believing that of the two blues guitarists, Lonnie Mack was better than Johnny Winter, and would be compared and discovered
By Mary Campbell Lonnie Mack is, back. He's happy to be back and yet he's nostalgic for where he's been. Blues guitarist Mack in 1963, at age 22 (born in a log cabin near Harrison, Ind.,) and influenced by a blind gospel guitarist (Ralph Trotto in Aurora, Ind.), cut his first rec-ord, "Memphis", for Fraternity Records in Cincinnati. It became a big hit and Mack thought, "This is easy". He was wrong, More recording produced no more hits. He got a group together and they started playing one-night stands, wearing out two cars a year driving themselves around, pulling their equipment in a trailer. After three years of that, they stepped up to playing one and two-week engagements in obscure locations for a couple of years.
They were playing in a converted airplane hangar in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., last summer, when Elektra Records sent a producer down to hear them. Somebody at Elektra had read a belated rave review of the LP, "Wham of that Memphis Man,', which Fraternity had brought out after the single. ELEKTRA immediately signed Mack, and he has two LPs out for the company, "Glad I'm in the Band", teamed with his drummer Ron Grayson and organist David Byrd, and "Whatever 's Right". Also, a promotion man played some tapes for Bill Graham, who said he'd book him at Fillmore West with anybody. The promotion man chose Johnny Winter mowing that critics would turn out for Winter and believing that of the two blues guitarists, Mack was better thar Winter, and would be compared and "discovered".
Tin reviews fulfilled his hopes Mack, Incidentally, had never heard of Johnny Winter. Now, Graham 's booking agency, Millard, is booking Mack in the major rock palaces across the country. "Now I'm a success, I wear workshirt", says Mack in his calm voice. "All I need now Is a laundromat. It's a lot easier this way than having to worry about getting suits cleaned and pressed, and getting razor cuts and all that hair spray. Now, I haven't really combed my hair in eight months, I think". MACK USED to play one-'lighters in buildings left from the era of the touring big dance and jazz bands. "It seems like every little town in the Midwest has got a big ballroom, beautiful places.
Nowadays a trio, with amplifiers, can make more noise than a 30-piece orchestra could. We could drown out Glen Miller, "One time we were booked in Hatfield, Minn., and the booking agent said, 'It's not on the map, so just get close to there and ask somebody.' We got to the town supposed to be next to it and couldn't n find anybody who knew it. There were only four or five a streets going out of town, so t we'd go down each one for 10 miles, looking at the signs. Finally we got to a handpainted sign saying Hatfield was one mile. It was a gravel road; there wasn't any blacktop, not even in the town. The only thing there was a bar, a church and a big ballroom, and the place was jammed.
"I would really love to go back and play Hatfield. "Everything was so non-organized those days. So in many towns I went into, I'd drive up to a filling station gand say, 'Where is Lonnie s. Mack playing tonight?' and 1- they'd tell me. We just knew the town it was in; didn't 'a know the name of the place". it Mack says, "That driving gets tiresome. You think you'd id like to settle down, but I get in one spot and I've got to get out of again. se "As far as success goes,I really like where I'm at now, but really the other place is me. We were making pretly good money and getting to see a lot of the country. You go in because you like to play, and you play, and people enjoy it, and you feel good about your-self.
"Maybe 10 years from now, my attitude will change, but I don't think so. I think those will still be the best. Memories".
Johnny Winter was the man of the night his southern slide, twang guitar style is so very cool and unique and you just must hear rock and roll hoochie coo the man served up some hot and spicy texas blues and sheer rock sweating passion as with the other musical selections just smooth tight harmony this mixed with the raw real abandon as you can see in his pictures it was just he and the band with the music they were playing for that time the whole of his world was right there on that stage a "true natural force of nature loose in this house of music that was and is Johnny Winter" Then came something and someone I could hardly believe the man introduced his brother Edgar I think I remember him saying this is his new york debut but in all truth I was so blown away by Johnny all I was thing now their are two of them how can this be that thought didn't last long because the man came out like the best professional of the day sat at the organ and with that band and his brother at the helm, they rocked the house down and I do indeed mean "some down with it all rock and roll" as Edgar moved to other instruments, sax, organ etc. and is a virtuoso with each as he sang while mixing in textures in voice and music performance, truly gifted young men, a night I still don't want to forget.
Chicago is in short a good band but somewhat nondescript when compared with the other popular jazz-rock bands. Friday it was completely overshadowed by Johnny Winter and his band.
Full transcript of this review by Mike Jahn
Chicago, Winter At Fillmore East Blodwyn Pig Also on Bill of Jazz and Blues Rock By Mike Jahn Chicago, a jazz-rock band from that city, played Friday and Saturday at the Fillmore East on a bill with Winter, the blues-rock band, and Blodwyn Pig, a British group. Chicago was previously known as the Chicago Transit Authority and C.T.A. It consists of Robert Lamm, keyboard and vocals; Peter Cetera, bass and vocals; Terry Kath, guitar and vocals, James Pankow, trombone, Lee Loughnane, trumpet; Walter Parazaider, woodwinds, and Daniel Seraphine, drums.
The group plays mostly its own material. Its songs tend to be long, with rock-oriented vocals at either end and long, jazz-flavored instrumentals in the middle. The original material is interesting, but nothing special. The group's best song on Friday was a remake of the old Spencer Davis Group number, "I'm A Man." Horn Section Dominates Chicago has been better in previous appearances here. The horn section, which tends to dominate, is capable but un-distinguished. The group did nothing that couldn't be done more excitingly by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, which is not known for its contribution to the history of jazz.
Chicago is, in short, a good band but somewhat nondescript when compared with the other popular jazz-rock bands. Friday it was completely over-shadowed by Winter. That Texas band is led by Johnny Winter, a lean, phantomlike blues guitarist with a tremendous capacity for embracing that bridge where country blues picks up its feet and becomes rock. The group was joined lately by Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter's brother, who plays keyboards, alto sax and drums. On Friday the former played a spectacular simultaneous solo on two sets of drums with John Turner, the regular Winter drummer. The other member of Winter is Tommy Shannon, bass.
Thanks giving weekend in 1969. It was at a drag strip outside of West Palm on the way to Okechobee (sp?). The band at that time was Johnny, Edgar Winter, Uncle John Turner and Tommy Shannon.
At that time, Columbia had released Johnny Winter and Second Winter. This was prior to Johnny Winter hooking up with the McCoys. Johnny played all three nights with Edgar, Uncle John, and Tommy Shannon. He wore a black outfit that looked like a Wyatt Earp or Jesse James type outfit and stalked the stage ripping his guitar
Among others, Grand Funk played three nights also. The show featured Iron Butterfly, King Crimson (Robin Fripp and Greg Lake), Jefferson Airplane, Rotary Connection (Minnie Ripperton), PG&E, Rolling Stones, Vanilla Fudge, Janis Joplin and Her Full Tilt Boogie Band, and others. On the third night, Johnny played, then Vanilla Fudge played followed by Janis. Afterwards, the announcer said, Johnny wants it, Janis wants it, and the Fudge wants one. All three bands came out on stage and jammed. Edgar jammed with the drummers, Snooky Flowers, Janis' sax player, and with the organist from Vanilla Fudge. Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble Band) jammed with both bass players and Johnny jammed with the guitar players.
But the top of the show was Janis and Johnny doing some good ole scat singing Texas Blues style. Johnny jammed with the guitar players and scatted with Janis, Edgar jammed on drums with the other drummers and on sax with Snooky Flowers, etc. It was a unusual and wonderful thing.