Blues great Johnny Winter brings legend to Texas Club

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By Jason Andreasen

Those who ventured out to the Texas Club last Wednesday witnessed one of the most riveting blues/rock performances that Baton Rouge has seen in years, courtesy of one of the genre’s founding fathers, Johnny Winter. As an ambassador of the blues and one of its elder statesmen, Winter sees the blues as an art form that will always be around, whether it gets the attention it deserves or not.

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Winter, a cross-eyed, tattoo-littered albino guitar hero whose lanky physique belies his robust playing, expressed a great deal of hope for the future of the blues, while reflecting on the career that has brought him everything from Grammy nominations to admiration from some of the most celebrated musicians of the last 50 years.

During an interview inside the rented RV that Winter’s four-piece band calls home on the road, Winter discussed his last album, I’m a Bluesman, which was released in 2004, and has garnered him plenty of critical acclaim. Winter, himself, however is his own worst critic.

“I’m not real happy with that record,” Winter confessed. “I was taking anti-depressants at the time, and it seemed to mess my voice up a little.”

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences disagreed with Winter’s assessment, nominating him for a Grammy for the 2004 release.

Winter, who stopped at the Texas Club while touring in support of the album, appeared tired and somewhat frail while on the bus, due in part to battling a cold. However, the deceit came to a screeching halt once he hit the stage and joined his band. The 64-year-old guitar god sat in a chair at the front of the stage, greeted the audience and let his weathered hands do most of the communicating from there on in.

Winter’s fingers danced up and down the fret board of his skinny white guitar more nimbly than most would expect from a man who has been playing on the national stage since the late ‘60s and survived years of addiction.

Ironically, Winter recalls his addictions as being more difficult to deal with than being a cross-eyed albino who loved and played music which was considered “Negro music” when he was growing up.

“It definitely made me stand out more,” Winter joked.

While the opaque white hair that drapes Winter’s head and his pale skin color may have made him stand out, Winter made sure that it was his fusion of blues and rock that made his name one of the most revered in American and Texan music.

Though he would always be associated with Texas Blues, Winter spent plenty of time in Louisiana while he was an aspiring blues guitarist. He used to hitch-hike from his home in Beaumont to Louisiana to play at places like The Big Oak Club.

“I did it because the drinking age was 18 in Louisiana at the time,” Winter said with a laugh. “Yeah, I went to Louisiana a lot.”

After a career that has spanned decades, performing at Woodstock, playing and recording with Muddy Waters and pioneering the blues/rock genre for the guitarists who would follow in his footsteps, Winter is taking a look at the younger generation of players.

“I like Derek Trucks a lot. I played with him during the Allman Brothers string of shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York,” Winter recalls.

Winter also played with Trucks on a live rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61" at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in Chicago in July, which was recalled by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke as one of the highlights of the show. While at the festival, Winter’s bus was apparently the place to be, hosting the likes of Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Steve Winwood and rising star Doyle Bramhall II, all stopping by to pay tribute and say hello.

As for the ripping performance at the Texas Club last Wednesday night, Winter tore through all the classics his fans expected while also offering up covers of Ray Charles’ “Blackjack” and a song made famous by The Rolling Stones, “It’s All Over Now.”

The band, which included Paul Nelson on guitar, Scott Spray on bass and Tony Beard playing the drums, was both animated and concentrated throughout the show. While they backed Winter with a full, driving sound, they never overshadowed his playing or vocal exhibition.

A real treat for the audience came during Winter’s encore, which saw him pull out a metal slide and explore every inch of the fret board while seeming to amaze both the crowd and his band alike. The show was easily one of the best shows Baton Rouge has seen this year, and hopefully we’ll see him again soon.

You can find out more about Johnny Winter, his band and his Grammy-nominated I’m a Bluesman album on JohnnyWinter.net.

 

E-mail the author at JasonAndreasen@tigerweekly.com

Originally Published: Issue 583 - October 17, 2007

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