Johnny Winter (1944–2014) was an American rock and blues musician. From 1959 to 1967, he recorded several singles for mostly small record companies in his native Texas.[1] In 1968, Winter completed his first album, The Progressive Blues Experiment, and in 1969, he was signed to Columbia Records.[2] With the label, Winter had his greatest success on the main American record chart; Johnny Winter (1969), Second Winter (1969), Live Johnny Winter And (1971), and Still Alive and Well (1973) all reached the top forty on the Billboard 200 album chart.[3] In 1974, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Live Johnny Winter And gold, his only record to receive an award from the organization.[4]
| Johnny Winter discography | |
|---|---|
 In concert 1990 | |
| Studio albums | 19 |
| Live albums | 9 |
| Live Bootleg Series | 15 |
| Compilation | 15 |
| Singles | 25 |
| Albums as producer and/or guitarist | 9 |
| Concert videos | 2 |
| Documentary films | 1 |
Beginning in 1973, Winter's music was issued by Blue Sky Records, a Columbia custom label. At Blue Sky, Winter also became a producer and was responsible for releases by Chicago blues pioneer Muddy Waters.[2] He produced Hard Again (1977), which earned Waters a Grammy Award and helped re-establish his popularity. In the years after 1984, Winter changed record companies several times, never remaining with any one for more than three albums. These included Alligator Records, MCA Records' Voyager subsidiary, Point Blank Records, Virgin Records, and Megaforce Records.[2] In 2007, he began producing a number of albums from his personal recordings, designated the "Live Bootleg Series".[5] Winter's last studio album, Step Back, released shortly after his death in 2014, was his most successful in the record charts since his Columbia period.[3] Several live albums and compilations have appeared on Billboard's "Blues Albums" specialty chart.[6]
Throughout his career, Winter's recording catalogue was plagued by bootleg albums and unauthorized re-releases of singles from his early pre-Columbia Records days.[2][7] These records competed with his official releases and some were doctored with later overdubs by other musicians.[8] Royalties were not Winter's primary concern: "I just don't want that bullshit out ... It's just bad music."[9]
Albums
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Details | Chart peak Billboard 200[3] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Progressive Blues Experiment |
| 40 | [2][10] |
| 1969 | Johnny Winter |
| 24[a] | [2][20] |
| Second Winter |
| 55[a][b] | [2][22] | |
| 1970 | Johnny Winter And |
| 154[b] | [2][23] |
| 1973 | Still Alive and Well |
| 22[a][c] | [2][25] |
| 1974 | Saints & Sinners |
| 42[a][c] | [26] |
| John Dawson Winter III |
| 78[a] | [2][27] | |
| 1977 | Nothin' but the Blues |
| 146 | [2][28] |
| 1978 | White, Hot and Blue |
| 141 | [2][29] |
| 1980 | Raisin' Cain |
| — | [2][30] |
| 1984 | Guitar Slinger |
| 183[a] | [2][31] |
| 1985 | Serious Business |
| 156 | [2][32] |
| 1986 | Third Degree |
| — | [2][33] |
| 1988 | The Winter of '88 |
| — | [2][34] |
| 1991 | Let Me In |
| — | [2][35] |
| 1992 | Hey, Where's Your Brother? |
| — | [2][36] |
| 2004 | I'm a Bluesman |
| —[d] | [2][37] |
| 2011 | Roots |
| 163 | [2][38] |
| 2014 | Step Back |
| 17[b] | [2][39] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Live albums
| Year | Title | Details | Chart peak Billboard 200[3] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Live Johnny Winter And |
| 40[a][b] | [2][4][40] |
| 1976 | Captured Live! |
| 93 | [2][41] |
| Together |
| 86 | [2][42] | |
| 1998 | Live in NYC '97 |
| —[d] | [2][43] |
| 2009 | The Woodstock Experience |
| —[d] | [2][44] |
| 2010 | Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70 |
| —[d] | [2] |
| 2011 | Rockpalast: Blues Rock Legends Vol. 3 |
| — | [45] |
| 2015 | Live from Japan |
| — | [46] |
| 2018 | The King of Slide |
| —[d] | [47][48] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Live Bootleg Series albums
The "Live Bootleg Series" are authorized, official releases produced by Winter for the Friday Music label. The CDs and LPs include the notice: "All master recordings are owned and controlled by Johnny Winter and are compiled from the authorized Johnny Winter archives". The recordings were not state-of-the-art for the time and many similar recordings had previously circulated as actual bootleg albums. The peak chart positions refer to Billboard's "Blues Albums" chart (none appeared on the broader Billboard 200 album chart).
| Year | Title | Details Catalogue no. & number of tracks | Chart peak Blues Albums[6] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 1 | FRM 1064 – 12 tracks | 15 | [2][5] |
| 2008 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 2 | FRM 1083 – 6 tracks | 7 | [2][49] |
| Live Bootleg Series Vol. 3 | FRM 1085 – 7 tracks | — | [2][50] | |
| 2009 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 4 | FRM 1100 – 10 tracks | 9 | [2][51] |
| 2009 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 5 | FRM 1143 – 8 tracks | 8 | [2][52] |
| 2010 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 6 | FRM 1156 – 7 tracks | 5 | [2][53] |
| 2011 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 7 | FRM 1160 – 7 tracks | 15 | [54] |
| 2012 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 8 | FRM 1162 – 7 tracks | — | [55] |
| 2013 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 9 | FRM 1163 – 7 tracks | — | [56] |
| Live Bootleg Series Vol. 10 | FRM 1164 – 7 tracks | — | [57] | |
| 2014 | Live Bootleg Special Edition | FRM 41914 (LP only) – 6 tracks | 9 | [58] |
| Live Bootleg Series Vol. 11 | FRM 1165 – 7 tracks | 15 | [59] | |
| 2016 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 12 | FRM 1167 – 7 tracks | 10 | [60] |
| Live Bootleg Series Vol. 13 | FRM 1169 – 7 tracks | — | [61] | |
| 2018 | Live Bootleg Series Vol. 14: It's Johnny's Birthday | FRM 22344 – 9 tracks | — | [62] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Compilation albums
After Winter signed to Columbia Records in 1969, his former associates began licensing albums consisting of Winter's early singles and demos for various labels.[2] These 40 or so songs continue to be re-packaged and re-released by numerous small record companies.[2] In several interviews, Winter asserts that these were unauthorized and that some have been overdubbed with other musicians.[7] For completeness, two of the more noteworthy compilations of pre-1968 recordings are included. The rest of those listed below contain songs that were recorded from 1968 on.
| Year | Title | Details | Chart peak Billboard 200[3] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Johnny Winter Story |
| 111 | [2][8] |
| 1992 | Scorchin' Blues |
| — | [63] |
| 1994 | A Rock n' Roll Collection |
| — | [64] |
| 1996 | The Return of Johnny Guitar (The Best of Johnny Winter 1984–86) |
| — | [65] |
| 1997 | White Hot Blues |
| — | [66] |
| 2001 | Deluxe Edition |
| — | [67] |
| 2002 | The Best of Johnny Winter |
| —[d] | [68] |
| 2003 | Winter Essentials 1960–1967 |
| — | [69] |
| 2009 | The Johnny Winter Anthology |
| —[d] | [70] |
| 2011 | Playlist: The Very Best of Johnny Winter Live |
| — | [71] |
| 2014 | The Essential Johnny Winter |
| — | [72] |
| 2014 | True to the Blues: The Johnny Winter Story |
| —[d] | [2][73] |
| 2015 | Remembrance Vol. 1 |
| —[d] | [74] |
| It's My Life, Baby |
| — | [75] | |
| 2017 | Remembrance Volume 2 |
| — | [76] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Singles
| Year | Title A-side / B-side | Details | Chart peak Hot 100[77] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | "School Day Blues" / "You Know I Love You" |
| — | [78] |
| 1960 | "Creepy" / "Oh My Darling" |
| — | [79] |
| "Hey, Hey, Hey" / "One Night of Love" |
| — | [79] | |
| 1961 | "Shed So Many Tears" / "That's What Love Does" |
| — | [79] |
| 1962 | "Voodoo Twist" / "Ease My Pain" |
| — | [80] |
| 1963 | "Crying in My Heart" / "Broke and Lonely" |
| — | [81] |
| "Road Runner" / "The Guy You Left Behind" |
| — | [81] | |
| "Gangster of Love" / "Eternally" |
| — | [82] | |
| 1964 | "Eternally" / "You'll Be the Death of Me" |
| — | [83] |
| "Gone For Bad" / "I Won´t Believe It" |
| — | [84] | |
| 1966 | "Please Come Home for Christmas" / "Out of Sight" |
| — | [84] |
| 1967 | "Birds Can't Row Boats" / "Leavin' Blues" |
| — | [85] |
| "Tramp" / "Parchman Farm" | — | [87] | ||
| 1968 | "Rollin' and Tumblin'" / "Mean Town Blues" |
| — | [88] |
| 1969 | "Rollin' and Tumblin'" / "Forty Four" |
| —[g] | [90] |
| "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" / "I'll Drown in My Tears" |
| — | [91] | |
| "Johnny B. Goode" / " I'm Not Sure" |
| 92 | [92] | |
| 1970 | "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" / "21st Century Man" |
| —[a] | [93] |
| 1971 | "Jumpin' Jack Flash" / "Good Morning Little School Girl" |
| 89 | [94] |
| 1973 | "Silver Train" / "Rock and Roll" |
| —[h] | [96] |
| "Can't You Feel It" / "Rock & Roll" |
| — | [97] | |
| 1974 | "Stone County" / "Bad Luck Situation" |
| —[h] | [98] |
| "Boney Moroney" / "Hurtin' So Bad" |
| —[a][h] | [99] | |
| "Raised on Rock" / "Pick Up on My Mojo" |
| — | [100] | |
| "Golden Olden Days of Rock & Roll" / "Stranger" |
| — | [101] | |
| 1976 | "Let the Good Times Roll" / "Soul Man" |
| — | [102] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Albums as producer and/or guitarist
| Year | Title | Details | Chart peak Billboard 200 | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Temple of Birth |
| — | [103] |
| 1977 | Hard Again |
| 143 | [2][104] [105][106] |
| 1978 | I'm Ready |
| 157 | [2][104] [106][107] |
| 1979 | Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live |
| — | [106][108] |
| Blast |
| — | [109] | |
| 1981 | King Bee |
| 192 | [104][110] |
| 1984 | Whoopin' |
| — | [111] |
| 2007 | Breakin' It Up, Breakin' It Down |
| —[d] | [112] |
| 2018 | Both Sides of the Sky |
| 8 | [113][114] [i] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Concert videos
| Year | Title | Details | Chart peak | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Live from Japan |
| — | [46] |
| 2016 | Live in Sweden 1987 |
| — | [116] |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart | ||||
Documentary film
Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty is a documentary film about the life and music career of Johnny Winter. It was directed by Greg Olliver and is 104 minutes long. The movie premiered on March 12, 2014, at the South by Southwest Film Festival.[117][118] It was released on DVD on March 4, 2016.[119]
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
- Ruhlmann, William (1996). "Johnny Winter". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-424-9.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). Australian Chart Book. ISBN 978-0-646-11917-5.
- Sullivan, Mary Lou (2010). Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-973-2.
- Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954–1982. Sheridan Books. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
External links
- Johnny Winter discography at Discogs