I was saddened this morning when I woke up and saw on the news that Johnny Winter passed away at the age of 70 while he was on tour in Europe. While he'd been in poor health for a while, it's still a bummer. As I wrote when I reviewed his official biography, he was a ridiculously talented guitarist and singer who was probably the most authentic white bluesman of all time. His dedication to his craft and his amazing talent have made him one of my favorite musicians throughout my entire life. He also seemed, for all his faults (and we all have faults), to be a good person. He was friends with and has played with everyone from Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, he appeared at Woodstock, won Grammys for the albums he made with Waters, and is one of the giants of American blues music. I was lucky enough to see him live in New Hampshire in 2006 and while he had slowed down a bit from his prime, he still put on a great show and played amazing guitar.
Clapton, Muddy, and Johnny
Jimi and Johnny
Janis and Johnny
So crank up some Johnny Winter music today in tribute to the man and let's be thankful we'll always have the music to enjoy and to remember him by. Rest in peace, Johnny!
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