Johnny Winter is a man of few words. The Texas-raised blues-guitar legend is in Sweden during the last days of May, riding on his tour bus, searching for the band’s hotel.
“Fine,” “going fine” and “real good” are some of the answers Winter offers to questions. He’s not impolite or gruff when answering. Just to the point. But then again, Winter doesn’t have to say much; his guitar playing has always done the talking for him.
Many might know Winter’s name but not know his bona fides. He’s a Blues Hall of Fame member, known for his ’60s and ’70s blues albums that mixed the deep emotions of the blues with a guitar-slinging, electrifying rock side. He was signed to Columbia Records in 1969 for what was called the largest solo artist deal of its time. He’s a Woodstock performer, and the producer of Muddy Waters’ late ’70s, Grammy-winning comeback albums, including 1977’s Hard Again. And he’s the older brother of Edgar Winter, the keyboardist and songwriter responsible for the early ’70s rock standards “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride.”
But after some years in the music wilderness, mainly because of drug abuse, Winter is experiencing a revival. And Winter’s second act is a return to his origins, revisiting the blues of his childhood. His September 2011 album is titled Roots and is a collection of 11 tracks selected by Winter that includes songs originally recorded by legends such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed.
“It’s the most emotional music I’ve ever heard,” Winter says of the blues. “It has more feeling than any other music I’ve ever heard. The first blues song I think I ever heard was a Howlin’ Wolf song on the radio. I thought it was great music so I wanted to learn how to do it.”
Each Roots track includes a guest artist. There’s Warren Haynes on “Done Somebody Wrong” and Vince Gill on “Maybellene.” Susan Tedeschi on “Bright Lights, Big City,” Edgar Winter on “Honky Tonk” and Derek Trucks on “Dust My Broom.” Some of the guest artists are guitarists and musicians who Winter and bandleader, guitarist and manager Paul Nelson met at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festivals in 2007 and 2010.
When approached by Nelson about the project, Winter selected the tunes in 15 minutes. “They are songs that influenced me and songs that I really love,” he says. “Songs that got me into the music.”
Nelson, who also produced Roots, was responsible for pairing the guest artists with their tunes, and he looked for perfect pairings between song and artist. “Vince Gill has a country flair so I knew he’d be good for ‘Maybellene,’” Nelson says.
Roots has garnered so much acclaim that Winter and Nelson are already recording a follow-up, Step Back, which will be released in the fall. “Again he picked the songs, but they are more rock songs that influenced him,” Nelson says. “Rock and blues. For this one I got in contact with Joe Perry from Aerosmith. He’s in; he’s done. Billy Gibbons, who is a friend of ours. Leslie West, Brian Setzer, Mark Knopfler, Ben Harper, Robert Randolph and we are working on [Eric] Clapton right now.
“He pays homage to the originals, but spices it up for Johnny.”
On the road, Winter is joined by Nelson, bassist Scott Spray and drummer Tommy Curiale, and the group is constantly touring, with Winter winning over new fans with his fiery and raw blues.
Although Winter doesn’t talk too much during the interview, what he does say is important. Like recalling the famous story of talking his way onto stage with B.B. King at a Beaumont, Texas, club called the Raven in 1962. The story sounds like a case of the legend becoming fact, but it’s all true. A 17-year-old Winter talked his way onto King’s stage, played and received a standing ovation.
“He didn’t know if I could play or not,” Winter says of King. “He really didn’t want to let me play. He had no idea whether I was any good. I still can’t believe he let me do it. I mean, if I was in his place I wouldn’t have let me play.
“I knew I was good enough. I knew if he let me play it would work. It did. I got a standing ovation when he didn’t get one.”
With his second act in full swing, the standing ovations continue for Winter, some 50 years after they first started.
SEE THE SHOW
Johnny Winter visits Juanita’s Friday. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show with the doors opening at 8:30 p.m., and the music starting at 9:30 p.m. Joining Winter and band is the high-energy blues and blues rock of Little Rock’s Steve Hester and DejaVooDoo, the blues rock of Memphis’ Low Society and the country-powered punk of Memphis’ Joecephus and The George Jonestown Massacre.