JOHNNY WINTER - Hey Where's Your Brother? - CD ALBUM

With a groovy rhythm section 48 years old Winter shows who is allowed to call himself the true master of the six (and sometimes twelve) strings amongst the white blues musicians. With his play, aggressive as usual, and his sharp vocals Winter brings pastime and a whole lot of surprise elements.

In answer to the title/question of Winter's album, his brother (singer/organist/saxophonist Edgar) does appear on three of the album cuts, most notably the vocal duet "Please Come Home for Christmas." Guitar aficionados unfamiliar with Winter's work will hear how he influenced fellow Texan Stevie Ray Vaughan, with his raw tone and interplay with his rhythm section. "Johnny Guitar" is the first track, and the rest of the album lives up to that moniker.

On the classic 1972 live album Roadwork, Edgar Winter immortalized the words (at least for my group of friends that wore the grooves off the record) when introducing his brother Johnny:

"Everybody asks me...where's your brother?"

It's a question that fans have besieged both Winters with for over two decades. Now Johnny gets a chance to return the tribute with his latest, "Hey, where's your brother?" Edgar does, in fact, guest on the sessions, blowing sax and tinkling keys on a few tracks, and dueting with big bro on a superb, seasonal rendition of Please Come Home For Christmas.

Like last year's Let Me In, Winter's latest deftly combines the bluesy rock he made famous in the '70s with his '80s forays into more traditional styles. The power trio he forms with bassist Jeff Ganz and drummer Tom Compton is equally at home on scorchers like You Must Have A Twin and lowdown numbers like I Got My Brand On You.

The highlight, however, is White Line Blues, where Winter unleashes one of his best ever "the notes you don't play are as important as those you do play" solos.

Hey Where's your Brother? is the title of the new Johnny Winter album, coming from the Pointblank label. It is the follow-up album to Johnny's Grammy-nominated and critically-acclaimed Pointblank debut, Let Me In.

On this collection of 14 killer tracks, Johnny is supported by regular band members Jeff Ganz (bass) and Tom Compton (drums and percussion), with guest appearances by harmonica player Billy Branch, and younger brother Edgar Winter on vocals, sax and organ on three songs: "You Keep Leavin'," "Sick And Tired," and a special holiday number, "Please Come Home For Christmas." (Indeed, the album title refers to a question frequently yelled at the stage during Johnny's live performances from fans hoping for a surprise visit from Edgar!) As with Let Me In, the album was produced by Dick Shurman and Johnny Winter and recorded in Chicago.

The album's lead-off track, "Johnny Guitar," with its rootsy feel, blistering guitar and emotionally-charged vocals, not only sets the tone for all the music to follow - it will be the first track released to album radio. Other key tracks include "You Must Have A Twin," "Blues This Bad," and "Treat Me Like You Wanna." A major US and Canadian tour is currently in progress.

Born in Beaumont, Texas on February 23, 1944, John Dawson Winter III grew up surrounded by the blues, country and cajun music. His brother Edgar was born three years later and the two showed an inclination toward music at an early age. As Johnny told Down Beat magazine, "We sang regularly, because Daddy loved to sing harmony. He sang in a barbershop quartet and in a church choir, so Edgar and I started singing as soon as we were born, almost." Johnny began playing clarinet at age five and switched to ukulele a few years later. Johnny and Edgar began performing as a duet in an Everly Brothers vein, winning talent contests and appearing on local television shows. When Johnny was 11, the Winter Brothers traveled to New York to audition for Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour." Soon after their first exposure to rock 'n roll came through the music of Little Richard, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins and early Elvis Presley. They also began soaking up the sound of rhythm and blues from DJ Clarence Garlow's "Bon Ton Show" on KJET radio in Beaumont. At age 14, Johnny organized his first band, Johnny & The Jammers, with brother Edgar on piano. A year later, they cut two songs at Bill Hall's Gulf Coast Recording Studios in Beaumont. The single "School Day Blues" b/w "You Know I Love You" came out a month later on Houston-based Dart Records , gaining The Winter Brothers some local notoriety.

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 also frequented the Beaumont's all-black Raven Club, where the aspiring blues guitarist got to see such heroes as Muddy Waters , B.B. King and Bobby Bland for the first time.