Johnny Winter 1986 Biography: A Year of Iconic Performances and Blues Legacy

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For years, Johnny Winter and bassist Jack Bruce have ranked among the world's best rock guitarists. This past weekend, at the sold-out Schützenhaus Albisgütli, there was a welcome opportunity to reassess their reputations during a double concert. While Scotsman Bruce and his three-member band opted for a somewhat retrospective and rather pandering program, Texan Winter and his two fellow musicians preferred the seemingly timeless status quo of his aggressive rock music, deeply rooted in urban blues. As a result, both acts avoided disappointment but also offered no surprises.

Both performances were also marked by extreme volume, although this only seemed to impress a few of the nearly two thousand attendees. “I Feel Free” as an encore, along with other compositions from Bruce’s time with Cream, the band that made him world-famous, formed the core of the hour-long first set. Johnny Winter followed with seven songs from his own repertoire.

Winter’s music, his almost proverbial fluid playing style, his rough voice, and his appearance, affected by illness and drugs, have changed only marginally over the last two decades. Even today, the albino musician stands equal to many of his Black role models in terms of musicality, expressiveness, and commitment, while surpassing many of his countless white peers in several aspects. Thus, the direct and appropriate comparison between Bruce and Winter clearly favored the latter—Bruce’s blues copies were too transparent and unimaginative.

Johnny Winter, whose new album Serious Business , released just in time for the tour, reinforces his own high standards, once again dazzled the audience, especially with his interpretation of the Chuck Berry classic "Johnny B. Goode."

Jahrelang zählten Johnny Winter und der Bassist Jack Bruce zu den weltbesten Rockgitarristen. Am vergangenen Wochenende bot sich im ausverkauften Schützenhaus Albisgürtli eine willkommene Gelegenheit, anlässlich eines Doppelkonzertes diese Reputation auf ihren neuesten Stand hin zu überprüfen.

Während der Schotte Bruce und seine dreiköpfige Band sich für ein eher retrospektives und in der Gestaltung ziemlich anbiederndes Programm entschieden, zogen der Texaner Winter und seine beiden Mitmusiker den scheinbar zeitlosen Status quo seiner aggressiven, dem urbanen Blues verwurzelten Rockmusik vor. Dadurch verhinderten beide Formationen zwar jegliche Enttäuschungen, aber auch Überraschungen.

Ebenfalls beiden Darbietungen gemeinsam war die äußerst große Lautstärke, die allerdings nur wenige der knapp zweitausend Zuschauer zu beeindrucken schien. „I Feel Free“ als Zugabe und weitere Kompositionen aus der Zeit der Cream, als deren Mitglied Bruce weltberühmt wurde, bildeten den Mittelpunkt des einstündigen ersten Teiles, bevor Johnny Winter sieben Titel aus seinem Repertoire zum Besten gab.

Seine Musik, seine fast schon sprichwörtlich flüssige Spielweise, sein rauher Gesang und sein durch Krankheit und Drogen beeinträchtigtes Aussehen haben sich in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten nur unwesentlich geändert. Auch heute noch steht der Albino in Musikalität, Ausdruckskraft und Engagement vielen seiner schwarzen Vorbilder in nichts nach, übertrifft seine unzähligen weißen Berufskollegen hingegen in vielem.

So fiel denn auch der direkte und statthafte Vergleich zwischen Bruce und Winter eindeutig zugunsten des Letzteren aus – zu durchsichtig und einfallslos waren die Blueskopien des Briten. Johnny Winter, dessen pünktlich zur Tournee erschienene neue Langspielplatte Serious Business seine eigenen hohen Ansprüche unterstreicht, brillierte, wie bei seinen früheren Auftritten, auch diesmal wieder mit seiner Interpretation des Chuck-Berry-Klassikers „Johnny B. Goode“.

Synopsis: In this comprehensive article by Jas Obrecht, Johnny Winter's enduring passion for the blues is explored, tracing his musical journey from his national breakthrough in 1968 to his 1986 album Third Degree. Obrecht highlights Winter’s profound impact on blues-rock, his collaborations with legends like Muddy Waters, and his triumphant return to traditional blues. Winter reflects on his experiences with Alligator Records, his evolving sound, and the challenges of staying true to the genre. Throughout, Winter's dedication to keeping the blues alive shines, setting him apart as one of the genre's greats.

By Jas Obrecht

When he emerged nationally in 1968, Johnny Winter was in many ways the epitome of the white blues-rocker. Fiery and flamboyant, his playing mixed an awesome command of blues licks culled from players past with his own hard-driving sense of rock and roll. By decade's end, the Texan and his sidemen—bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner—were packing stadiums and placing albums in the Top 40. (Tommy Shannon is profiled on page 80.)

Between 1968 and 1980, Winter cut over a dozen albums under his own name, covering everything from roots acoustic blues and electrified Chicago slide to Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones chestnuts. At various times, his lineups included sharp-shooter Rick Derringer on second guitar and brother Edgar Winter on keyboards and sax. In the late '70s Johnny dedicated himself to accompanying Muddy Waters on stage and record, producing the blues legend's acclaimed Hard Again, I'm Ready, Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live, and King Bee LPs.

After a four-year recording hiatus, Winter signed with Alligator Records in 1984. His first project for Chicago's leading blues label was to produce and play guitar on harpist Son Seals' Grammy-nominated Chicago Fire. Johnny came out with guns blazing on his first Alligator release as a leader, Guitar Slinger, which hit the hottest blues lists in years through tunes by Muddy Waters, Earl King, and Junior Wells. In 1985, a follow-up, Serious Business, included the Winter originals "Good Time Woman" and "Serious As A Heart Attack."

Johnny's new LP, Third Degree, may well be the best of his Alligator albums. Seamlessly melding acoustic and electric blues, his bottleneck guitars are in fierce form. Songs feel to "Shake Your Moneymaker" and "Mojo Boogie", while "I'm Good" and Third Degree showcase blistering Texas straight-ahead blues. Along with Dr. John, Rebennack adds two tracks, and Johnny's '60s rhythm section reunites---

for "C.C. Baby", "Shake Your Moneymaker", and "Broke And Lonesome." "Man, that was so much fun!" says Winter. "It felt like we had been together all this time. In fact, we played better this time than we did 15 years ago. It was a real labor of love for all three of us." Playing slide and fingered lines on National Resophonic guitars, Johnny faced the mike alone for "Bad Girl Blues" and his Muddy Waters-inspired original, "Broke Down My Mind."

Since the mid-'70s, the 42-year-old native of Beaumont, Texas, has lived in New York City. He spends an average of eight months a year on the road, and had just finished a European tour of Australia at the time of this interview. Johnny plans to conclude 1986 with a major U.S. tour.

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THIRD DEGREE CONCENTRATES

On exploring your blues roots.

Yep. To me, the blues is what it's all about, man. It isn't the only kind of music that I play, but it's without a doubt my favorite. I still like to play country blues, and a lot of other things, but I never get tired of the blues. I'm very happy with the new album. I think it's going to be my favorite.

So why has it taken so long to do a blues album of that size today?

Well, my part of it is sure. It's so many of the people I grew up listening to and idolizing aren't around anymore, it seemed right now was the right time to pay tribute. I read some things where Stevie Ray Vaughan said that people ask him all the time if he's gonna quit the blues and play 'other' music. All you gotta hear is blues. Whether it's 200 years old, or brand new, there ain't nothing in between for us.

When did it hit you, looking back on it all, that this was the moment to record such a traditional blues album?

Man, it was just like a kick in the head. The blues is a constant thing like that. That's what keeps it exciting.

Do you find that it's easier than ever now to stay concentrating on blues or on your specific part of your career?

Oh sure. There ain't a lot more to life, period. I'm getting back to it more. I never should have gone away from it in the first place. As you probably know, I did all kinds of blues. He really couldn't take it without getting a little bit caught up. Blues, it just keeps getting better and better. There's more and more people interested. There's a big black market right now. There's nothing bigger. It just takes a lot of good records, playing or listening to a lot of blues and concentrating on it. It really makes me happy to be doing it.

Do you have much desire to cross back into more mainstream rock?

Not at all. I guess it would be nice if I could do exactly the same thing I was doing 15 years ago, you know what I mean [laughs]. But now I'm just trying to go in the best direction. You just have to go forward.

How does recording for Alligator stack up to past projects?

It’s totally different in a lot of ways. In the past, I didn’t have anybody to ask about anything. My contract was that I had my own creative control over everything—write and artwork. With Alligator, they got a lot more people involved and it was fine—but it didn’t go very far. They do fight to get it out to people who really want to know. Now, I've been working for the company the past six months, and the label isn’t that big, but it's still a good thing. It seems to really support blues, and so we're both trying to find out what makes sense.

How do you choose which songs to record?

You can't choose the songs more naturally or even better than enough. After we've recorded three or four, [producer] Dick Shurman really finds out what's needed. We picked "Mojo Boogie" and "Broke Down My Mind" from different fields and brought everything together.

The record company doesn't put so much emphasis on the packaging, but that’s good because we want it to be about the music and the album. Alligator kind of reminds me of what it was like with the guys writing for Atlantic. We were there making this kind of "Emilio Live" album—get the live album at the same time and you're finished. There's something real strong about it, and I was so glad when it went this way, so I fought a few people here and there before it was finished.

Have you gotten a few beginner jumps to J.B. Lenoir?

[Laughs.] Some big, very big beginner jumps.

Yeah. I play a lot in open D tuning. I do D and E. But to be honest, I never played in open tuning until the early ’70s, after seeing Duane Allman stuff. I just don’t think I’d have done that.

What’s the idea was it to do Love, Life, and Money?

Okay, that was one that I didn’t even remember. I was looking for a good minor blues song, and Dr. John came up with that one. It was originally done by Little Willie John. Mac (Dr. John) is a great reservoir of old material. We just played it through a couple of times while he sang, and I liked it so much, I learned the words and put my own licks on it.

In the studio, do you sing and play guitar at the same time?

To give people an idea of what I'm doing, I do scratch vocals. But I didn’t use any of those for Third Degree. I can do a better job singing and playing when I do each of them without really worrying about the other.

How do you cut guitar tracks?

I pretty much just plug in and play. There are a few overdubs in a couple of places, but I tried as much as possible to do it live. We did "Shake Your Moneymaker," for instance, with the trio and no overdubs. I thought it was better to me when I can hear everybody in the room, so I try to get everybody in the same area every time, and it was played through my amp. I was playing at a loud volume, so I could hear it going in without headphones, and I could still hear the drums, bass, and everybody else. Still, when we do overdubs, I put too many amps full up there [laughs]. That was a rented Fender Super Reverb.

Why did you use a rented amp for the record?

The studio was in Chicago, and my amps were in New York. I’m not real particular about what kind of amps I use. I just brought in the amp Super. We also had my Boogie in there. I used a Mesa/Boogie on my last couple of albums, but the Super just sounded better. I’ve always been partial to Boogies, and the Fender Bassman amp before that, and it makes the playing a lot easier because of the bigger body. That’s why I try to get a vintage Bassman—a great amp.

Did you use any slide on the album apart from the KMC Lazer?

No, I didn’t. We cut "Mojo Boogie" in Korea, so it needed a lot of rewiring. I ended up using the Lazer on most songs anyway just because I was so used to it. I couldn’t play any of the other guitars I had [laughs]. I’ve got a T-Bone guitar, which I’m sure will be on the next record. The Lazer works great for slide, so I used my old Gibson Firebird for the four slide songs on the new album. I used the Firebird on "Evil On My Mind."

Did you add any effects to the album, like on Love, Life, and Money for a more raw, sound fuller than other tracks?

Except for my KMC with chorus pedal, the rest of the effects were added in the studio. I’m not exactly sure what Shurman [producer] did, but it sounds fuller overall and made it sound like I was using a neck pickup. So by using the chorus pedal and adding a little body and space, we were able to get a sound that wasn’t coming out of the amp.

What guitars did you use for the actual tracks?

I used two different Nationals. I played all the slide on a real old Dobro. It’s kind of ugly. It has a metal body. It looks like a guitar, but it’s got a great guitar, in fact. The strings are so high that you can’t fret it properly; it sounds too out-of-tune. But it has a great slide sound. I’ve been using it a year; it’s from, I bought it from a guy in Austin, Texas, about 25 years ago. The Nationals were down in Nashville in 1985, so I bought them a long time ago. It’s my regular slide sound, but the tuning is set too high for the fingerboard, so I had to have both of them—one old Dobro and one that I used on slide.

Did you cut the slide parts first, and then lay the fretted parts?

I did it both ways. On "Evil On My Mind," I played the fretted part first and dropped in the slide afterward. For "Bad Girl Blues," I played slide first.

What's the percussion sound in "Evil On My Mind?"

A tapping foot.

Do you ever play a regular flat-top acoustic?

I have. It's been a while, though.

Are you equally comfortable on electric and acoustic guitar?

I have a hard time playing acoustic guitar. In the studio we usually put it away after a while because I don’t feel comfortable enough to use it. Electric is what I learned on and what I’ve pretty much always done. When I play an acoustic, I’m really fighting it. I was determined to have it on Third Degree, though, so I got my National fixed up and started practicing. I took it on the road with me, and every time I was sitting around hotel rooms with nothing to do, I'd play it. I started practicing about three months early because it’s so different. Without being able to turn up my volume, I keep playing harder and harder. I just go way out of hand, when there’s no real reason for it. I actually reach down and try to turn up the volume [laughs]. I just have to tell myself, "Hold on! Wait a second. It doesn’t have to be that loud." I love the way National guitars sound, but I have to force myself to play them right.

Can you get a different emotional response from acoustic guitars?

Yeah, they definitely have a different feeling, and that helps to bring out the emotion and make what I’m playing more natural to me. But they’re so much more finicky when it’s called for. And Nationals have such a great raunchy sound for blues. They are the only acoustic guitars that, to me, really have a bluesy sound. Acoustic guitars usually sound pretty, but you can get a kind, almost distorted, raunchy kind of tone on a National. To me, it sounds like a garbage can with strings on it. As soon as I was over with Nationals, I was staying to get more of that tone.

What do you use live for slide?

I use the same gear now as I didn’t pile on before. My National has been with me for 25 years. It really lived, too. It did its job for 25 years, and I took it on the road for Europe for some shows. Then I bought another one, a new one, and I fixed it up right because the frets and strings were too old and too beat up. So now I’ve got one that has a great sound for guitar. It gets a kind of a deep, jangly tone. It's perfect for the different positions on the neck. I’ve still got the same piece. I don’t know what metal it is. When I first started using it, it was a grayish color. I wore the color off, and it was a shiny black for a while. I’ve worked through that, and now it shines when I just ask for conduit pipe. The slide is not supposed to go all the way down your finger. It’s just supposed to go to your middle joint, to where you can still bend your finger and it won’t fall off. My slide is long enough to go across all six strings at once, but I very seldom use all six.

How do you damp for slide?

Sometimes, I use both hands. It's an unconscious thing, but I think it's mostly with the left-hand fingers that are behind the slide. Sometimes you want all the strings to ring, but when you don’t, you just cover them up with one of your other three fingers. You have to be able to do that.

Do you always use a pick?

Yeah. I always use a Gibson thumbpick, and I play with my first and second fingers, too. I can’t use a plectrum at all. I keep my thumbpick until they are just about used up, because the company discontinued making them. In fact, I ran out of picks last year and went crazy trying to find one that I could play with. I couldn’t find one in California, either, so when I finally went to Nashville, I bought a bunch of them. That was about 15 years ago, and I’ve still got 30 or 40 left.

Do you break many strings? perhard do.

I pick real hard. I don’t break too many strings. Right now I tune down two frets to start with D instead of E [D G C F A D]. That seems to help. I use a string gauge set of .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, and .046. I used to use a bit stiffer gauge, but I lightened the way the guitar sounds tuned down better.

Did you have to arrange a lot before you made your record?

Actually, I was getting into the point in life where I was getting kind of tired of hearing some of the songs. My voice was starting---

really getting a little lower, so with this new tuning it's a little easier to sing everything. I like having the songs down there a couple of frets.

Do you replace frets very often?

No. Very seldom. I use them until they don’t sound right anymore, until I have to change them. I’m really a firm believer in, “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken.” Every time you mess around with your guitar, it comes back feeling a little different. It’s really got to be bad before I do anything.

What’s your onstage setup?

I have two Lazer guitars, in case I break a string on one, and the Gibson Firebird that I always play slide on. I used an MKP phase shifter for years, but on this last record I used an MKR chorus and liked it better. It gets pretty much the same effect, except without all that squishiness. It has a little bit more ball. From there, I run into an old Music Man amp. I've got several with 12s and 210s, depending on the way the hall sounds. Usually I like the four 10s best for most places. The two 12s sound a little better in some places, but the amp has a little bit more bottom volume than what I want. Old Music Mans are pretty close to the old Fender sound. I don’t think the newer ones sound quite the same. When I started working with Muddy, his guitar player was using Music Man amps, and I liked the way they sounded, so I made a deal with him. I’m still using the amps I got back then.

How do you set an amp control?

I usually start out with the volume on about 7 ½, and by the last song I’ll usually be up to 10 [laughs]. The treble is always on full, and the bass and middle are usually all the way off. Sometimes I’ll put a little bit of middle on if the hall sounds particularly trebly. I like a lot of treble and not much bass.

Do you ever use rhythm guitarists?

Not anymore. I did for a while, but I really don’t like it. If I'm going to use another guitar player, I want someone who’s been around a long time, pioneers we’ve all heard. Keyboard players are great at comping. When I started, if there was a second guitar player, it wasn’t as easy. I’m not fond of comping. It’s pretty easy for me to hear that second guitar playing parts that really stick out.

What did you get out of working with Muddy Waters?

Boy, it was a great period in my life. It was great to be able to work for the guy. If you’ve lived on record for that many years, and gotten to work with so many famous musicians, you couldn’t ask for a better education. You learn a lot about yourself, and how to give your band what they need in terms of arrangements. The Muddy Waters Band was a gentleman band. They had so many blues roots, and they knew how to make everything work. When you play with older musicians, with guys who have been doing that much longer, you feel like you’re playing with a part of history.

You seem to have an endless variety of hip blues licks and turnarounds. Do these come naturally, or do you practice them?

At first, it was practice. Now, it does come naturally, just because I listen to so many different people. I have favorites, but I listened to literally every blues record that I was interested in before I ever heard what I was doing. What you know, it comes to you like lightning. You want to play like Lightnin’ Hopkins or something. He had a lot of stuff. What you don’t know gets in your way. Hooker or T-Bone’s playing for anybody. You can learn something from every record. I loved the way they played, and I learned to play that way. There were a lot of different things they did that were easy to do, but they came naturally.

What do you think is the biggest difference between the blues you hear in Texas and Chicago?

I can hear it pretty easily. They have more swing. The Texas guys tend to have that different sound, and I think that’s because there were different horn players. With all Chicago guys, I mean, we learned what Texas sounded like. Muddy had a great swing, but it wasn’t as obvious. I think it was Texas first, and then you had some Chicago guys who put more jazz into it. Most blues players weren’t good jazz players at all. All of them weren’t; they just didn’t know it. Many of them didn't learn, but all good jazz players can learn. You could work with jazz players, but it takes a little more to learn. They have that horn thing. I don’t know how to explain it, but you know what I’m saying.

Do you consider yourself a Texas guitar player?

Yeah, I guess so. But I never thought, “I'm gonna play blues because I’m from Texas, this is the way Texas guys play.” In fact, when I picked it up, I kept wanting to be more bluesy. I wanted to go to Chicago, where all the good blues players were. I met Mike Bloomfield, and he said, “Damn! Boy, you’re playing a real good Texas feel!” That helped me a lot. That’s when I realized that you couldn’t play without Texas. Other musicians had to feel you could really put out that Texas thing. After that, everything I heard coming out of Chicago sounded like I was hearing at least one Chicago guy who was learning his blues in Texas.

Do you think of what you play as mostly blues?

Most blues, yes. It’s more like music, and it’s Mississippi guys and Chicago guys. But mostly it’s all blues. The greatest musicians were good at everything. Those old-time musicians would give the song exactly what it needed. They might be more famous for blues and not play other kinds of music, but they could still do everything. If you want to be a good blues player, you have to learn to do all the other stuff, too. That’s what gives you the strength. There are all these roots in blues, and if you leave that, the more you go with Texas blues guitar, the less you get out of it. You have Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lightnin'---

10 years older than I am, and he was definitely aware of that stuff. Down in Texas, it was everywhere. You heard it on the radio before rock and roll, and it had to seep into most players who grew up around there.

Were there many other rock and roll guitarists around Texas when Buddy Holly came to prominence in the ’50s?

Oh, yeah. There was a guitar player under every rock. There really were a lot of guys around. To me, the best of them were usually black, but there was a group called Burl Boykin And The Rockin’ Rebels. I guess the guys were four or five years older than me, and they had the first rock and roll band that I’d ever seen. They played around and made a few records. There were a lot of groups that never really got out of the Texas-Louisiana area. We were only a half-hour from Louisiana, so we got a lot of influence from New Orleans and south Louisiana, which was kind of a cross between R&B, Cajun, and hillbilly. That kind of Fats Domino-sounding music was a big, big influence on everybody that lived there. They did a lot of playing in juke joints, which got more business because the liquor laws were better. The clubs in Louisiana would stay open until noon. You could go to a club at 10 or 12 in Louisiana, and in Texas you had to be a little sneaky. For your bands to do a lot better, you had to get used to playing Louisiana more than we did in Texas.

Keith Ferguson of The Tail Gators remembers that in those days, you had to have perfect recall for Top-40 songs.

[Laughs.] I’ve always been real good at remembering lyrics and song. I had to do that all the time. I didn’t want to say I forgot the words that I didn’t have any reason to, only it happened a lot in my early stages, but I got back into it. Rather than do 50 records, it was just a way to learn them out loud. And people always had to tell me if I screwed up or not. At that time, I’d only learned a few little black things like that, but I always went after stuff. Black blues was a big deal to us. My first two or three records were almost black blues. But I wasn’t trying to go there for long, I was just trying to sound good when I got done, which I’ve managed to do pretty well. Blues and R&B were the same thing to us back then. The best thing about growing up in Texas was that you heard both.

Do you spend much time in Texas these days?

Not a lot. I try to, but I have a smaller amount of time to spend now. My life in general is pretty frantic. Sometimes, I don’t like to feel that frenetic about it because I’ve got enough to do. When I do go back, it feels good. I hear the same kind of music. There are some really good musicians from around Houston; everybody knows Joey Long, who’s been around forever. He was one of the first white guys that I was aware of who played good blues. He still plays around all the time. He’s been working the same club for 30 years. There are many good up-and-coming guitarists in Texas now that every time I go back, there’s somebody new.

In 1986, Johnny Winter’s typical setlist was a fiery blend of blues and rock, showcasing his unparalleled guitar skills and deep blues roots. While the exact songs varied from concert to concert, there were recurring staples that he performed throughout the year. These songs exemplified his aggressive yet fluid playing style, marked by blistering solos and raw energy.

Core Songs from 1986 Setlists:

1. "Succotash" – Opened several shows, setting the tone for the night with an uptempo, jam-heavy intro.

2. "Don't Take Advantage of Me" – A frequent part of the setlist, featuring an extended guitar solo reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s "All Along the Watchtower."

3. "My Time After Awhile" – A slow, emotive blues number that gave Winter space to showcase his expressive guitar phrasing.

4. "Highway 61 Revisited" – Bob Dylan’s classic reimagined with Winter’s aggressive slide guitar and reinterpreted solos, often standing out as a concert highlight.

5. "Johnny B. Goode" – A Chuck Berry standard that became one of Winter’s signature songs, often used to close out sets or appear as an encore.

6. "Bony Moronie" – A rock ‘n’ roll classic where Winter’s band often added an energetic drum solo.

7. "Serious as a Heart Attack" – A high-energy blues track that showcased Winter’s gritty vocals and guitar virtuosity.

8. "Murdering Blues" – Featured his deep blues influences, giving him space to explore slower, more traditional blues structures.

9. "It's All Over Now" – Often used as a final encore, this song would leave audiences on a high note.

In certain shows, Winter incorporated additional songs:

- "Mad Dog" – Appeared at shows in Sweden and Germany.

- "Boot Hill" – A haunting blues song, often found in the second half of the concert.

- "Mojo Boogie" – A lively shuffle that became a fan favorite in the mid-to-late 1986 concerts.

- "Third Degree" – Featured prominently during the latter part of 1986 as he was promoting his Third Degree album.

These setlists reflected Winter’s blues-rock intensity, driven by his powerful guitar work, gritty vocals, and seamless integration of rock and blues standards. His performances were a combination of blistering solos, energetic rock songs, and deep, emotional blues, captivating audiences in venues across Europe, Australia, and the U.S.