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JOHNNY WINTER

The saga of 24-year old Johnny Winter's arrival in New York City in late 1968  the Rolling Stone article that prompted Steve Paul to bring Winter up from Texas, in the hopes of netting him a record deal  has been part of rock history for decades. When the smoke cleared and the bidding war was done, the guitarist-singer (who was also a prolific songwriter) was signed to Columbia Records. Winter and his group, brother Edgar on keyboards and alto saxophone, bassist Tommy Shannon (a future member of Steve Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) and drummer Red Turner, traveled to Nashville to record their first Columbia album.

JOHNNY WINTER was self-produced, with Eddie Kramer (known for his work with Jimi Hendrix) serving as production consultant. A small horn section is heard on Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," and "Drown In My Own Tears" (via Ray Charles), as well as one of the bonus tracks, the Bobby "Blue" Bland tune, "Two Steps From the Blues." Other guests included Chicago bluesmen Willie Dixon on bass and Walter "Shakey" Horton on harmonica (showcased on Muddy Waters' "Mean Mistreater").

Johnny Winter distinguished himself on three originals, "I'm Yours and I'm Hers," "Leland Mississippi Blues," and "Dallas" (two versions). In addition to the above, the repertoire ranged from blues classics by B.B. King ("Be Careful With a Fool"), Robert Johnson ("When You Got a Good Friend"), and fellow Texan Lightnin' Hopkins ("Back Door Friend"), to the hard-driving electric slide cut, "Country Girl."
"With my first album," Winter told Andy Aledort (who authored the liner notes), "I just wanted to put out the best blues record as I could, with some rearrangements of good blues tunes and some originals, too. And I loved that original line-up with Unc and Tommy; it's definitely my all-time favorite band."

JOHNNY WINTER was produced for reissue by Jerry Rappaport, who shared this year's Grammy award for Best Historical Album for the 5-CD box set Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey.

JOHNNY WINTER
(CK 85734, originally issued April 1969, as Columbia CS 9826)

Selections:
1. I'm Yours and I'm Hers
2. Be Careful With a Fool
3. Dallas
4. Mean Mistreater
5. Leland Mississippi Blues
6. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
7. When You Got a Good Friend
8. I'll Drown in My Own Tears
9. Back Door Friend
Previously unreleased bonus tracks:
10. Country Girl
11. Dallas (with band)
12. Two Steps From the Blues


MEDIA - ADDRESS TEARSHEETS TO:

Tom Cording or Randy Haecker
SONY LEGACY
550 Madison Avenue, 17th floor
New York, NY 10022-3211

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