A LOOK BACK

1944
John Dawson Winter III is born in Beaumont, Texas on Febrary 23rd. His brother Edgar is born three years later.

1953 – 1959
Johnny begins playing clarinet at age five; switches to ukelele and then guitar a few years later. Performing with his younger brother Edgar as a duo in an Everly Brothers vein, the Winters win a talent contest and appear on local television shows.

1959
The Winter brothers travel to New York to audition for Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour. Soon thereafter, they receive their first taste of rock ‘n’ roll. The Winter brothers gain regional notoriety with the singles “School Day Blues” and “You Know I Love You” released on Houston-based Dart Records. During this time Johnny begins frequenting all black blues clubs and over the years he sits in with such heroes as Muddy Waters, BB King, and Bobby Bland.

1962
At age 14, Johnny forms his first band, Johnny and the Jammers, with Edgar on piano.

1962 – 1965
Johnny cuts singles as a leader and sideman for regional labels such as Kroc, Frolic, Diamond, Goldband, Jin, and Todd. In 1963, he moves to Chicago to check out the blues scene but winds up playing twist clubs. He returns to Beaumont and records “Eternally,” a pop flavored number with horn arrangements by Edgar. The single is licensed by Atlantic Records and becomes a hit in the Texas/Louisiana region.

1965 – 1967
Johnny gigs relentlessly throughout the deep South, both with his own band (alternately known as The Cyrstaliers and It and Them) and in a band with Edgar (Black Plague).

1967
After two and a half years of barnstorming, Johnny settles in Houston.

1968
Surveying the Texas music scene, Rolling Stone magazine dubs Johnny Winter the hottest item outside Janis Joplin. The article creates a flood of interest in The Progressive Blues Experiment, an album of straight blues recorded by Winter’s trio with bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer uncle John Turner, released nationally by Imperial.

1968 – 1974
Signed to a much bally-hooed contract with Columbia Records, Johnny’s scorching 1968 debut album Johnny Winter leads a steady stream of hard-hitting blues-rock albums, including Second Winter (1969), Johnny Winter (1970), Still Alive and Well (1973) and Saints and Sinners (1974).

1974 – 1977
Winter joins CBS Records affiliate Blue Sky and releases John Dawson Winter III (1974). Other Blue Sky gems include Captured Live (1976) and his acclaimed 1977 album Nothin But The Blues, which features Winter accompanied by Muddy Waters’ band.

1977 – 1980
Fulfilling a dream, Winter begins working with blues guitarist Muddy Waters. During the ensuing years they collaborate on a series of classic Blue Sky albums. Winter produces and plays on Waters’ Grammy-winning comeback album Hard Again, Grammy-winning I’m Ready (1978), Grammy-winning Muddy Mississippi Waters Live (1979) and King Bee (1980).

1984 – 1986
Guitar Slinger, Winter’s Grammy-nominated 1984 Alligator Records debut, ends a four-year recording hiatus and ushers in a new creative groove. His Alligator label output continues with the Grammy-nominated Serious Business (1985), Third Degree (1986) and producing/performing on Harmonica Sonny Terry’s Think I Got The Blues.

1988
The Winter of ‘88 on the MCA-distributed Voyager label shows Winter experimenting with a more contemporary flavored sound. Johnny is inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

1991
Winter returns to his blues roots with a vengeance. His Grammy-nominated Let Me In marks a powerful debut on the Pointblank label. This CD boasted guest appearances by Dr. John and Albert Collins. Produced by Dick Shurman, the disc featured the memorable “Illustrated Man,” a song by the Nashville team of Fred James and Mary-Ann Brandon chronicling Johnny?s well-tattooed torso. Other tracks include Winter?s own title tune and his equally stand-out “If You Got a Good Woman,” as well as Dr. John?s “You Lie Too Much” with the good doctor on ivories.

1992
Brandishing a tongue-in-cheek title and wicked no-frills blues, Hey Where’s Your Brother?, Winter’s sophomore Pointblank release earns him another Grammy nomination.

1993
Winter performs on Highway 61 Revisited, a highlight of Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary tribute released by Columbia Records on CD and video.

1998
Live in New York City ‘97, Winter’s third Pointblank record, offers a scorching collection of concert favorites. The first album of new Winter material in five years. Live in NYC ‘97 was recorded at New York’s Bottom Line in April 1997. The songs were selected by members of Winter’s fan club. The entire album is intended as a gesture of gratitude by Winter to his many fans worldwide.

2004
This Grammy nominated disc titled “I’m A Bluesman” released Virgin Records, adds to Johnny’s Texas-sized reputation. For this release, Johnny again paired with his longtime producer Dick Shurman (Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan), as well as Tom Hambridge (Susan Tedeschi, George Thorogood). Backing him on this disc is his scorching road-tested touring band of ace harmonica man James Montgomery, guitarist Paul Nelson who co -penned the title track, bassist Scott Spray and drummer Wayne June, Guest appearances feature such friends as keyboardist Reese Wynans (from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s celebrated backing group Double Trouble) among others.

2005 – Today
Johnny and Edgar Winter inducted into the Southeast Texas “Walk of Fame” at Ford Park in their home town of Beaumont, Texas for their contributions to music and career accomplishments.