Johnny Winter is the Texas bluesman who turned raw Beaumont grit into high-voltage stage weather. I caught his early surge in 1968-1969 with the trio of Tommy Shannon (bass) and John "Red" Turner (drums) on "The Progressive Blues Experiment". In 1970-1972 he went full-throttle as Johnny Winter And with Rick Derringer and Randy Jo Hobbs, swapping Randy Z for Bobby Caldwell on the road. From 1976-1981 he repaid the elders, producing and playing on Muddy Waters' Blue Sky comeback run, starting with "Hard Again" (1977). Later bands kept him moving: Jon Paris anchored the groove from 1979 into the late '80s, and Paul Nelson rode shotgun from 2010-2014.
Johnny Winter – The First Album 12" Vinyl LP Album
- The rare Blue Sky reissue of Johnny Winter’s self-titled debut, a cornerstone of Texas blues-rock history
“The First Album” marks the explosive debut of Johnny Winter — a blazing Texas bluesman whose guitar mastery and soulful voice ignited the late 1960s scene. This Blue Sky Records reissue, originally issued after 1973, reintroduces the raw magic of Winter’s earliest sessions, recorded when analog warmth ruled the world and distortion was still considered an art form.
The album bridges Delta roots and rock rebellion, featuring electrifying performances of “Be Careful with a Fool,” “Leland Mississippi Blues,” and “Good Morning Little School Girl.” Every groove captures the heat of Winter’s slide guitar and the grit of a generation discovering its amplified soul.
