JOHNNY WINTER in 1977

- Johnny Winter’s Iconic 1977 Tour with Muddy Waters and James Cotton: Revitalizing the Blues

After a decade immersed in "Rock and Roll," Johnny Winter made a pivotal return to his musical roots in 1977, reconnecting with the authentic blues that originally defined his artistry. His stage performances underwent a noticeable transformation, evolving from energetic displays—where he would leap from one side of the stage to the other while delivering gritty guitar riffs—to a more subdued presence. Winter now preferred to sit, staying close to the microphone as he performed, allowing the music itself to take center stage.

In his recordings, Winter employed the distinctive sound of his self-made John Velano guitar, a striking instrument known for its all-metal body and thin silver neck. This guitar helped shape the unique tone that became synonymous with Winter’s blues revival.

His influence extended beyond his own performances. Winter took on the role of producer for Muddy Waters' Hard Again, an album that would go on to win a Grammy Award. The project was instrumental in reinvigorating Waters' career, serving as a comeback for the blues legend. Winter's deep understanding of the genre, paired with his production expertise, contributed to the album's success and reaffirmed both artists' legacies in the blues scene.

Tim: Talking about collaborations, I was curious how you got together with Johnny Winter.

Muddy: I met Johnny in Austin, Texas. He opened the show for me back in '60, I think.

Tim: And how did his producing your Blue Sky album come to be?

Muddy: He was on it. He was with CBS, and CBS distributed Blue Sky. The guy that owned Blue Sky was Johnny's personal man all the way through, Steve Paul. So, we were looking for a record contract, and when my manager went to CBS, they said, "Well, we've got a good place to put him." And they put me on Blue Sky with Johnny. See, Johnny loves me, because he learned a lot from my music. He likes me personally as a friend. So when he heard that we wanted him to produce the record and all—man, that was just what he wanted. It's like a little family thing we’ve got. So we did good over there. This is the fourth one out, and we've won three Grammy awards. Every one we put out, we win. This might be the one this time, who knows.

Tim: That's kind of a strange partnership. He's a relative newcomer to the blues compared to you.

Muddy: Yeah, definitely. He's a young boy compared to me. But he learned from my records, and people like me. But he mostly studied my records when he was a kid coming up. And a lot of others did too.

Tim: And he's helped to bring the blues to a bigger population, wouldn't you say?

Muddy: Sure. Definitely.

Muddy on Johnny Winter: See, Johnny loves me because he learned a lot from my music. He likes me personally as a friend. So when he heard that we wanted him to produce the record—man, that was just what he wanted. It's like a little family thing we've got. So we did well over there. This is the fourth album, and we've won three Grammy awards. Every one we've put out has won. This might be the one this time, who knows.

Muddy Waters has been an imposing figure in the blues, probably the music's most imposing figure, since Alan Lomax recorded him for the Library of Congress in 1942. His Chess records of the 50's were so powerful and intense that few other bluesmen have come close to matching them. But lately Mr. Waters has been ill, and at his appearance during the Newport Jazz Festival last summer he was a shadow of his former self.

Late last year, the rock guitarist, Johnny Winter produced a new Muddy Waters album, *"Hard Again."* He put Mr. Waters together with James Cotton, a harmonica player who left Mississippi for Chicago several years after Mr. Waters, and fleshed out the group with Mr. Cotton's regular bassist and drummer and Mr. Waters's pianist and rhythm guitarist. The album was excellent, except when Mr. Winter played tastelessly busy guitar solos and screamed in the background. One wondered how this mixture of talents would work on stage.

At the Palladium on Friday evening, it worked very well indeed. The group performed without Mr. Waters during the first half, and although Mr. Winter still played too many notes and tended to hog the spotlight, his vocals were gritty and direct and much of his guitar work was restrained and appropriate.

Mr. Cotton's dramatic harmonica style, which combines the percussive high-register effects that were popular in the Delta during the early 50's with the more legato Chicago style associated with Little Walter, lent the numbers on which he was featured soloist a raw edge of excitement. Pinetop Perkins's vocal on Robert Nighthawk's *"Anna Lee Blues"* and his chopping, incisive piano solos were highlights of the evening.

Mr. Waters's hour on stage seemed more like 15 minutes. He prowled restlessly, roaring out the assertive lyrics of *"Mannish Boy,"* and turned in a two-chorus slide guitar solo that brought down the house. Mr. Winter may not be the world's subtlest blues guitarist, but his energy and the aggressive playing of the band pushed Mr. Waters into one of the finest blues performances this reviewer has seen in years.

Robert Palmer

Source & Full Article: 77-03-06 New York Times.pdf

By JOE ABELL

ARLINGTON — The last time I saw Johnny Winter was about two and a half years ago. He's been on tour since then, of course, but after catching his show last Saturday at Texas Hall, I sure couldn't tell it.

So few things have changed in that time: perhaps song titles and band members. To a true bluesman like Winter, that shouldn't make much difference: good blues are timeless.

But — then, as now — he doesn’t seem satisfied with simply playing good blues. For some reason, he’s had to add some funk, some rock and some flash. Those also haven't changed in two and a half years, making the entire performance somewhat static.

Why mix those styles? To please his audiences, no doubt. The one at Texas Hall seemed to patiently endure the technical artistry of his slower blues numbers, jumping up enthusiastically only when the band ventured into rock and roll, a compromise at best for Winter's abilities.

The biggest part of that compromise was his second guitarist. Obviously reared in a rock background, his playing was much harsher and less subtle than Winter's fluid lines. NOTHING WRONG WITH that : a contrast of styles can create a good onstage tension for a band to really cook. Unfortunately, that second guitarist was more interested in keeping up with Winter than creating tensions. And to make matters worse, an odd mix halfway through the show made his guitar dominate the sound until the end.

Winter's own playing was virtually flawless. He has a dexterity and feel for a blues sound that’s amazing at times, especially during a slow, crying “straight” blues number. Even the higher energy and (supposedly) simpler rock and roll tunes couldn't hide his complex, sensitive lines.

Too much of a good thing, though, can get boring, as many of Winter's songs did by the end of the show. Nearly every one eventually turned into little more than a frame for a solo break, and while technically fascinating, many got tiresome. THE FULL HOUSE didn’t mind, though, and brought him back for two encores, both rock and roll numbers. After all, that’s what they'd come to hear in the first place.

Opening act Nils Lofgren was a fine complement to Winter's show, but a good package is something Winter's never lacked: in 1975, one of his supporting acts was a little-known guitarist named Frampton.

Lofgren has the same basic approach as Frampton, only a fuller sound. There's certainly nothing vital to his lightweight, good-time rock, but it's an excellent example of a well-rounded, polished performance — the kind usually associated with headline acts.

And if nothing else, Lofgren is certainly one of the more athletic performers in rock, going as far as having a small trampoline onstage for backflips.

Source & Full Article: 77-07-19 Dallas Morning News.pdf

Johnny Winter, who performed at the Palladium a few months ago with an all-star blues group built around Muddy Waters, was back Saturday night with his own band. The changes his music has undergone since he began touring nationally in the late 1960's were evident, and largely salutary. But in one respect, at least, his music had come full circle, from hard blues through hard rock and back to the blues.

Although he was often a subtle and convincing blues man on the early recordings he made in his native Texas, Mr. Winter's first real success was as a master of blues overkill. With his trio jacked up to hitherto unprecedented volume levels, Mr. Winter always played fast, meaningless fistfuls of notes where one would do.

Mr. Winter still concludes most of his numbers with frenetic instrumental raving, but his playing has gained much in depth and expressivity and something, at least, by way of restraint. His choice of repertory on the current tour is significant. The jumping-off points for his improvisations are not flashy Delta pieces as of old but blues couplets as venerable as the original recordings of Tommy Johnson and John Estes and blues standards from the 50's.

A lengthy performance of Memphis Slim’s “Mother Earth” was a highlight Saturday. Mr. Winter sang it with real feeling and used his bottleneck to deliver a delicate, well-paced solo with a brooding sense of drama and affecting, voice-like inflections. Eventually, of course, the song built to a thrashing conclusion. But Mr. Winter had demonstrated that he really can be the subtle, idiomatic blues musician his supporters have always thought him to be. Taste and restraint seem to be coming as he grows older, and while one might wish for accelerated progress in these respects, it seems inevitable that in a few years, at least, Mr. Winter will be worth hearing as a blues man, and not as a frenetic rock guitarist who uses the blues as a jumping-off point for self-indulgent jamming.

ROBERT PALMER

Source & Full Article: 77-08-08 New York Times.pdf

Synopsis: This article "Foghat Tribute for Sound Archive at Library Is a Roaring Success" details a three-hour blues event organized by the English rock group Foghat in support of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archive of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library. Among the many performers, Johnny Winter appeared as a guest alongside the Muddy Waters band.

Winter’s performance stood out as he delivered two medium-tempo blues numbers. Notably, his vocals were more authentic and bluesy compared to his guitar playing, which sometimes veered into elaborate, less restrained solos. The Waters band helped to curb some of his more self-indulgent tendencies, and it was only when Muddy Waters himself took the stage that the performance reached its full potential, shifting into high gear. Winter’s appearance was praised for its grit and authenticity, although his guitar solos were occasionally critiqued for drifting into excessive improvisation.

Overall, Johnny Winter’s participation contributed to the success of the tribute, reinforcing his status as a distinctive bluesman within a lineup of notable performers.

Read The Full Article: Foghat Tribute for Sound Archive

Synopsis: In this candid interview, Johnny Winter discusses his approach to producing albums, particularly his work with Muddy Waters. Winter reveals his desire to return to the raw, unpolished sound of early rock 'n' roll and blues recordings, rejecting the clean, separated production techniques of modern studios. He reflects on the challenge of balancing his guitar playing with his role as a producer, admitting that his own flashy style had to take a backseat to Muddy’s more traditional blues sound. Winter also shares personal stories about his life on the road, his struggles with addiction, and his journey to acceptance, both in his music and personal life. Through it all, Winter remains fiercely dedicated to capturing the authentic essence of blues while confronting his own demons.

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Synopsis: Johnny Winter’s career was a tale of two lives, split between his love for rock 'n' roll and his deep-rooted passion for the blues. As he rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s, media and industry expectations nearly derailed his creative vision, pushing him into an identity crisis. After battling drug addiction and depression, Johnny found solace when Muddy Waters, a blues icon he revered, asked him to produce his next album. This collaboration not only revived Muddy’s career but also profoundly transformed Winter's life.

Through candid reflections on their friendship and musical partnership, Winter describes how working with Muddy brought him back to his roots, helping him reclaim his place in the blues world. Despite his fears of not living up to the task, producing and playing alongside Muddy was a fulfilling experience that revitalized Johnny’s love for the blues, redefined his career, and cemented his legacy as one of the great white bluesmen. This article delves into Johnny Winter's emotional journey, his musical struggles, and the powerful influence of Muddy Waters in steering him back on track.

Read The Full Article Here