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Johnny Winter is excited to bring his blues music to Charleston on his current tour. He's reaching out to new audiences in smaller towns and is optimistic despite the challenge of playing for crowds unfamiliar with his work. The concert will feature a mix of classic and new material,
6 January 1974 Charleston Gazette
Winter To Perform Here (Charleston)
By J. P. Rool
Johnny Winter is still alive and well. And working as hard as ever. Contacted in New Orleans shortly before Christmas, Winter talked about his current tour which will bring him to Charleston next Sunday. Winter last toured to promote the release of his album "Still Alive and Well." He hit only major cities, he said, places where FM radio stations had made his music known to the public. This tour is to promote his next album ("Saints and Sinners" due near the end of this month) and he's hitting some towns he's never been to before. The reception, he said, has been good. "I was a little worried at first," he said. "We've only played the bigger cities before, and we're still pretty much of an underground act.
I was afraid people in some of these pikes hadn't even heard of us." Nevertheless, the Crowds have been good and Winter's, pleased. "We're doing the same kind of material we, usually do," he admitted. There's -some stuff - from the new album, but it seems people don't want to hear new stuff untill it's on a record" Winter says he's never been to West Virginia but he's anxious to get to Charleston and see the reaction get. His brother Edgar Was here recently and Johnny. Says he wants to do'll at least as well as he That remark prompted a question question about sibling rivalry between the two Winters, but Johnny denied it. "Rivalry? Not really.
Not There was a lot More before Edgar made it. He was always Johnny's little brother, you knoW. People wouldo't even call-him by his name, just say Johnny's. "I was always band leader and workin' and Edgar was always puttin' down my musk, sayin' rock'n'roll wasn't good music. He was into technical stuff and say-in' rock and blues wasn't legitimate, that he was into good music. It got better after he got a hit single," Winter admitted. Winter also admitted that though he's never had a hit single, the "Saints and Sinners" album has a couple of possibilities. "I don't want to talk about it right now, because I don't know exactly what we're going to do with them.
We might release them as singles or we might not, I just don't know right now, But there's two that can probably make it. We'll probably do them in Charleston. When talked with Winter by telephone that day; he just getting ready for his New Orleans concert before taking a Christmas break-resumed the tour the day after Christmas and will end at Jan. 20. He admitted that concerts are hard for him to get into, but that, once they begin, he's "My biggest problem is to Stay calm, be admitted. "I'm always nervous before I go on. A couple of hours before like show, I can't stand still. I Pace and worry. I get out there and the music starts I'm okaY.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to Charleston. I don't know if many people's heard our stuff up there, but we'll try and give 'em a good show. The show is 8 p.m. next Sunday at the Civic Center.