In the middle of our true winter of 2004, the great white bluesman cometh.
He is Johnny Winter, guitar god, prince of Texas blues and, in his own words, "the best white blues player around."
Winter turns 60 this month. That means it's been 45 years since a youthful band named Johnny and the Jammers ripped through Schoolday Blues, and 35 years since he initially shot from Texas clubs to rock stardom in the U.S.
"I've done a lot of things I wanted to do, like working with Muddy (Waters, a Chicago blues star)," Winter says from his Connecticut home.
"That is one of the high points of my career, working with Muddy," he says of producing Waters, one of his heroes, during Muddy's "comeback" in the 1970s.
Due to various ailments, Winter is seated on stage these days as he sings the blues and plays his fiery guitar. It is only one chapter in his thrilling blues life, which has seen Grammy honours, hit records and songs written for him by John Lennon and the Rolling Stones.
He is intent on adding to the legend in 2004. He is working with a writer on his autobiography. It is nearly complete. "We got a new record coming out in April or May," he says. It will be called I'm a Bluesman.
"I'm going to stay with the blues," Winter smiles about his own future.
Even if several of the songs on I'm a Bluesman seemingly demand it, Winter is not touring with a second guitarist. It may be Winter is still chilled at the memories of former bandmate, second guitarist and full-time exhibitionist Rick Derringer, jumping all over the place.
Winter gives a mixed review to The Blues, the recent Martin Scorsese-helmed tribute to the music's past and present glories. Scorsese and his allies somehow failed to do for the blues what Ken Burns' Jazz did for another great American gift to to the world, he says.
"It could have been better," Winters says. "There weren't enough blues piano players on it."
Winter knows his keyboard players, starting with his flashy, rock-minded brother Edgar.
He also knows his blues guitarists. His road manager is Paul Nelson, who co-wrote several tunes, including the title track, on I'm a Bluesman, and also plays on five of the new tracks.
Winter smiles. "He's a (terrific) guitar player."
It must warm a winter night on the road to hear that from a boss who knows what he is talking about.
