JOHNNY WINTER in 1993

- Grammy Fire, Highway 61 Lightning & Late-Career Clarity

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

By Michael Kuelker

Guitar savant Johnny Winter put on a no-frills, electrifying spectacle Friday night at Mississippi Nights, displaying instrumental legendry in the rock side of rockin’ blues.

Winter is a rare breed in contemporary music. Rarely do you find a musician of such consistent drawing power and influence who doesn’t have at least one mainstream hit or “classic rock” radio mainstay.

And while Winter, 48, doesn’t, his style has seeped into those of rock and blues guitarists in his 25 years of recording. While he couldn’t give more than a cursory survey of his lengthy catalog in Friday night’s 85-minute set, his work on Alligator Records in the mid-1980s, which sparked a career renaissance, was conspicuously neglected.

Winter’s shows are founded on ever-reliable guitar acolytes they offer, where songs are rather interchangeable and serve as occasions for extemporaneous jamming.

After opening with two mercurial instrumentals, Winter gave only two guesses to his latest album, the wonderful “Hey, Where’s Your Brother?”

The title is a joking reference to Winter’s brother, Edgar, and is perhaps the result of his hearing “I don’t see his albino brother” at rock festivals for two decades. Winter’s set gave just two. “Frankenstein,” and “Free Ride,” his brother’s songs.

Winter evoked cries, sighs, moans and — mostly — agitated fits of hyperboogie as he thumb-picked his guitar.

Although Winter is from Leland, Miss., when he strapped on his Gibson Firebird for some slide playing, it was purest work in genuine Chicago style.

The packed house bopped and howled in approval, with many (myself included) standing slack-jawed in awe, thinking such things about his “Look at those fingers move” during the guitarist’s inexhaustible riff runs — played, apparently, with great ease.

Winter can create more in a basic I-IV-V song frame than virtually anyone in his genre.

A crack rhythm section — Tom Compton on drums and Jeff Ganz on bass — visibly challenged Winter, with Ganz himself on one of the lengthier lead breaks.

Ganz even “dueled” with his boss and won, and he lost and earned some fans of his own for his rapid-fire fretless bass work and scat vocals.

Winter ended the show with a new, autobiographical number, a direct hit: “Johnny Guitar,” which tells the story of a man who lives to play guitar, and whose best lover in life is exceeded only by his need for his instrument. Go, Johnny, go.

"Hey, Where's Your Brother?" is the title of Johnny Winter's new album, released by Pointblank Records. It follows his Grammy-nominated and critically acclaimed debut on the same label, Let Me In . This collection of 14 killer tracks features Johnny's regular band members: Jeff Ganz on bass and Tom Compton on drums and percussion. Guest appearances include harmonica player Billy Branch and Johnny's younger brother, Edgar Winter, who contributes vocals, sax, and organ on three songs: "You Keep Leavin'," "Sick and Tired," and a special holiday track, "Please Come Home for Christmas." (The album title is inspired by a question frequently shouted by fans during Johnny's live performances, hoping for a surprise appearance by Edgar!) Like Let Me In , this album is co-produced by Dick Shurman and Johnny Winter and was recorded in Chicago.

The album's lead-off track, "Johnny Guitar," with its rootsy feel, blistering guitar, and emotionally charged vocals, sets the tone for the rest of the record. It will also be the first single released to radio. Other standout tracks include "You Must Have a Twin," "Blues This Bad," and "Treat Me Like You Wanna." A major US and Canadian tour is currently underway to support the release.

Born in Beaumont, Texas, on 23 February 1944, John Dawson Winter III grew up surrounded by blues, country, and Cajun music. His brother Edgar was born three years later, and both showed an early inclination toward music. As Johnny once told DownBeat magazine, "We sang regularly because Daddy loved to sing harmony. He was in a barbershop quartet and a church choir, so Edgar and I started singing almost as soon as we were born." Johnny began playing clarinet at age five, later switching to the ukulele. The brothers started performing as a duet in the style of the Everly Brothers, winning talent contests and appearing on local TV shows. At age 11, the Winter brothers traveled to New York to audition for Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour . Soon after, they were exposed to rock 'n' roll through artists like Little Richard, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley, while rhythm and blues from DJ Clarence Garlow's Bon Ton Show on KJET radio in Beaumont also shaped their sound.

At 14, Johnny formed his first band, Johnny & The Jammers, with Edgar on piano. A year later, they recorded two songs at Bill Hall's Gulf Coast Recording Studios in Beaumont. The single, "School Day Blues" b/w "You Know I Love You," was released a month later by Houston-based Dart Records, giving the Winter brothers some local fame.

Around this time, Johnny began sitting in with DJ Clarence Garlow, who also performed around town and had a regional hit with "Bon Ton Roule." Johnny frequented Beaumont's all-black Raven Club, where he saw blues legends like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Bobby Bland for the first time.

Mike recalls: "That Ontario Place show was one of the best I've ever seen. Otis Rush opened, followed by John Mayall with Coco Montoya, and then Johnny took the stage. There was a bit of a mix-up with the seating because Johnny had requested the normally rotating stage to be stopped. It's actually a cool setup—the outdoor venue is round, with a circular roof, and the rotating stage means you get a great view at least a quarter of the time. But Johnny didn’t want it, maybe due to his eyesight issues.

Just as Johnny came on, a real storm hit. He kept talking to someone off to the side while playing, and we were all a bit worried he might cancel. There was a stream of water pouring over the electrical feeds, and a lot of lightning—probably a good time to be 'unplugged.' But Johnny kept going, and I wish I had it on video. It was an incredible sight—Johnny playing his heart out, with lightning flashing in the background. It was truly a feast for the eyes!

I didn’t bring a recorder, but I should have. I’ve been searched at other Johnny Winter shows for knives, drugs, cameras, and recorders, so I figured they’d do the same at Ontario Place. But since it was Ontario, they were only concerned about seizing alcohol."*