News

Johnny Winter Dies

18 Jul 14

Legendary American blues guitarist, Johnny Winter, passed away 16 July, in a Zurich hotel room.

Born in Texas in 1944, the guitarist formed a band with his brother, Edgar Winter, in their teens. By 1960, he had recorded his first singles as Johnny and the Jammers. Discovering the blues, Johnny played and recorded with Texas R&B outfits through the 1960s steadily building his reputation as a guitarist.

Johnny’s big break came when he was invited by Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper to take part in the “Super Session” concert at the Fillmore East in New York City. His debut solo album, Johnny Winter, was released in 1969. Winter has released several landmark albums including Johnny Winter And Live and the grammy-nominated discs Guitar Slinger and I’m A Bluesman. Johnny also produced the albums Hard Again, I’m Ready and King Bee for Muddy Waters in the late 70s.

Johnny performed at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, where his version of Dylan’s Highway 61, was one of the highlights, and again at the 2010 festival. Eric appears as a guest on Johnny’s forthcoming album release, Step Back, due in September.