RE: [Harp-L] Subject: Johnny Winters

[robert <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Richard Hunter wrote:
> I'm distressed to hear that Johnny Winters is dead.  His recording of Highway 61 Revisited changed my life.  RIP indeed.


Completely agree...sad news indeed. The Johnny Winters recording that changed my life was his first collaboration with Muddy Waters, Hard Again, which Johnny produced and played guitar on and truly was a collaboration stylistically as it melded Muddy's sound with Johnny's hard-edged blues/rock approach. I was a young harmonica player then, in the 70's, just learning about the blues, but I was already familar with Johnny Winters. When I heard that record, which featured what I consider James Cotton's finest recorded harmonica playing...well, there was no turning back.

Interestingly, evidently Johnny was also a good harmonica player, though I've never heard any recordings of him playing harp. Several years ago, the late, great Pat Ramsey played a gig in my little town and I got a chance to talk with him for quite a while. Pat talked some about the record he made with Johnny, White, Hot and Blue, which has been discussed on this list several times. Anyway, Pat told me that when they were recording the Jimmy Reed tune Honest I Do, the things Pat was playing on the tune weren't to Johnny's liking. I know this will be hard to believe, but I distinctly remember Pat saying that at that time, he [Pat] had never listened to Jimmy Reed and didn't even know how to play in first position..Johnny evidently grabbed a harp and proceeded to blow some Jimmy Reed style first position stuff. If memory serves, Pat said Johnny played pretty darn well...and instructed Pat to do some fast wood shedding on Jimmy Reed, which he obviously did.

I haven't listened much to Johnny in the last few years, but I will always love his music. He and Duane Allman were my conduits into the world of the blues, and later jazz. I will miss him. 
WVa Bob