Johnny Winter

[orangecrush]

"Johnny's life passed him by
Like a warm summer day
If you listen to the wind
You can still hear him play"

Shooting Star, Bad Company

[patphil]

1. A truly great guitarist. Here's another from him; great cover of a Dylan song.

A testimonial from another great guitarist:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/johnny-winter-was-kindred-spirit-derek-trucks

[orangecrush]

4. Great tune

Thanks!

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. So very underappreciated.

As was his brother.

[orangecrush]

5. He played real blues

And not mainstream commercial.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. Kinda like Rory Gallagher

A guitar god that few people know about.

[orangecrush]

16. Love Rory

Sad he drank himsekf to death.

[Mr.Bill]

3. One of my favorites, for sure.

Seen him live a handful of times.

[orangecrush]

6. Came close

But never made it.

[lark]

9. Me too, way back in the day.

Think I saw him probably 4 times with my ex being in the the band that opened for him. I enjoyed all of the shows.

[lark]

8. This brings back memories.

My ex's band was the 2nd band for the night, Johnnie Winter was the Star. When ex wouldn't let me back in the bandroom, after promising me beforehand he would, and I later found out another woman was in there with him, I made my decision to file for divorce. I was just over the top furious, but my friend got me focused on Johnny Winters' set and I calmed down and was able to really enjoy the set - we danced to most of it. I still had made the decision to leave and left for good 5 days later. That night changed my life so significantly.

[orangecrush]

10. Thanks for sharing

Those memories.

I see a blues song in there somewhere.

[watrwefitinfor]

11. lark,

Your story brings back memories of my first life, as a band wife.

One night I was in a bathroom stall when a group of rowdy girls came in. One declared loudly, "I had a date with the drummer but his damned wife came with him." Oops.

Wat

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Oops!

My band was one that didn't cause such consternation. We were about the music & not the "adulation".
Our wives had no such concerns.
Sorry this had to happen to you.

[lark]

13. It happens to a lot of band wives.

There'a lots of temptation, always there, and few have the commitment to decline. I thought my guy was so different, but in the end, after 9 years together, he too succumbed. I had always dated musicians and artists but after him I realized I needed to change my habits. I was getting to be too old to be a rock n roll queen.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Well, We're Getting Old Now

I haven't played actively for 15 years.
My last band played 80-85 gigs a year for 19 years. We got to our 50s & said "That's long enough."
It was a semi-pro thing anyway. None of us needed the income. It was more just money to buy more musical stuff without touching "real" money.
We were also in the minority in that we only cared about being respected for our playing ability not about popularity.
I've known lots of bands that would meet your description. More about stardom & partying then being players.

[lark]

15. Yes, WE are!

It's been 41 years since I was a band wife. It was a really fun 7 years, but everything changes and I wouldn't trade my life today, so guess I survived it ok.

Star Creek started out like your band, just a bunch of 20 something year old guys having fun and playing at a local bar. Well, they got an agent, expanded their aims and started getting serious about money and "The Band". It became the driving point of their lives and they all changed and so did the wives and girlfriends - including me.

[TexasBushwhacker]

17. I love this interview with David Letterman

[orangecrush]

18. Thanks

[DFW]

19. I met him at a rock festival in France in 1970. Nicest guy you could ever want to meet.

I somehow talked myself into a backstage pass. I was carrying around a gaudy plastic Swedish electric guitar I had bought in Stockholm a few weeks before just to have a fretboard to play on. Johnny saw it and freaked out, said he had to have it. I said OK, on 2 conditions. First, he had to reimburse me the $40 I had paid for it (real money to me in those days), and he had to let me take a phot of him hilding it. He was cool with both. He said, "I may never play it in public, but that's the craziest guitar I ever saw!"

I had some primitive (even for 1970) tourist camera, and don't ask me what happened to that photo. How was I to know how important it would be to me 50 years later? He invited me to hang out in his trailer with the rest of the band. I remember the drummer said he was from Florida. I don't remember the bassist at all. The other guitarist was a reall asshole from Indiana, said he was one of the original McCoys (Hang on Sloopy). His name was Rick Zehringer, but went by the stage name of Rick Derringer.

Our paths never crossed again after that, but I kept the fond memories. Johnny was a prince of a guy.

[Mr.Bill]

20. It sounds like you ran into the band he called Johnny Winter And.

They put out a killer live album in '71.

[DFW]

21. If he kept the line-up from the summer of 1970

Then, that was indeed the group. The French festival just headlined him by name, as the French wouldn't have known or cared about the rest.