The Johnny Winter Story
Fanmail

Congratulations!!!!!!!
Superb web site. All the information I could imagine is here. I am sending this mail from Uruguay, South America and I am proud tobe the No 1 Wintermaniac in the area. I am a guitar player myself with the Incandescente Blues Band and Johnny has always been my guiding light. Just one messagge for Johnny: Uruguay is waiting for you. During many, many years your vynils were a collector s item and I ve had a real hard time trying to find them all. Now the CD solved the problem but I ll never get rid of my J.W. vynils. I would love to keep in touch with other Johnny Winter Fans. I promise to answer. Send E mail to incandes@netgate.com.uy

My name is Matias, I am 22 years old and I live in Argentina. I've listened to Johnny for the last 3 years and became a great fan (what? A JW fan in Argentina? Seems a joke but is completely true.) I love to play guitar, specially R & B, and I'm completely identified with Winter guitar style. Every time I get a new JW compact disk, I listen it thousands of times till I can play all his licks (most of them are very tough but, of course, with great feeling). As I've never been to a Winter concert, one of my dreams is watching him play in a Blues Festival or Blues Club in Buenos Aires (you would be very surprised with the Argentine Blues audience!) In my country, there are lots of R&B fans, with pretty different blues guitar player idols (naming them would be too long). So we (blues fans) would be delighted hearing Johnny live at least one night!! Well Johnny, if you are reading this lines, please reconsider playing around here. We know is a little far, but we can pay you the plane ticket (don't take it seriously), and invite you to a great "asado", where we can eat the best meat in the world (hope you are not vegetarian).
Any comments, mail me to mgadda@hotmail.com

What a great site. I just found it today, and I am amazed at all the information provided and the diversity of the JW fans. Hardly anyone I know has ever heard of him. I am now 40 years old, and have been listening to JW since I was 15. He was so big in my hometown of Augusta, Maine. Every party I went to during my teenage years played the Johnny Winter And Live album. Everyone would boogie, and jam, and play air guitars. We all knew all the licks by heart. I had posters of JW in my room, while most of my other friends had pop idols, or "cute boys" from rock groups of the time.

I was lucky enough to see Johnny for the first time in the Spring of 1974. I was a junior in high school, and had to drive to a city 90 miles away for the concert. We left at 10:00 in the morning for an 8:00 p.m. concert. We made a whole day party of it. The concert was great beyond my wildest dreams. I saw him again in 1977, and in 1990. I am sorry to hear that JW is slowing down. When did the tattoos begin? I don't believe he had them in the 70's.

Well it's late, so I will sign off, but I have a wonderful story about a 1973 Edgar Winter concert(Istill have the ticket stub) that I will write back with soon.

Karen

The Winterman

Johnny Winter is an oak tree masquerading as a cottonwood twig.

Last time I saw Johnny was summer of 96 in Amenia, New York, near the Mass border. He played a tune I didn't reconize from any of his albums. Can anyone help me find it or tell me if its on anything. Real slow and bluesy, the chorus went something like:
Every quarter I get... Blackjack takes it away...
Also, does anyone have any kind of bootlegs to trade with me? I am so much into listening to Johnny, the greatest guitarist ever!, that I still play all his stuff every single day and I've been doing so for 12 years. You all know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Please please respond if you can kick me down some bootleg stuff.
Thanks..
Respond to GypsyBrave@aol.com

Hy Johnny "the great" Winter

Congratulations for your home-page !!!!!!!

We are great fans from Brazil ! You may not believe, but you have a lot of fans here in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro; lots of people love blues, especially Johnny Winter and his wonderful guitar (eternally the best....)!

But we have a question for you, John: Why have you never been before in Brazil playing for us ? Here, we have two concerts of Blues: Nescafe Blues Festival and Free Jazz Festival (on this only some blues artists play, not so much....). In Nescafe Blues Festival (the real Blues festival), two years ago, we had the notice that Johnny Winter could come and play for us ! The fans become crazy but, unfortunately, this notice couldn't be confirmed and until now we didn't have another notice about Johnny Winter's possibility on playing in Brazil !

We don't know we are the first to send you a mail asking this, but if you give as a please to watch you and your band on a show, we promise you a great audience !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the attention !!!!! And a lot of thanks for Captured Live, Still Alive And Well, Nothin But The Blues, 3rd Degree, The Winter Of 88, Let Me In (Yeah !), Serious Business and Hey Where's your Brother - Unforgettable !!!!!!!

Flavio Machado e Luiz Galvao - Master Records - Niteroi - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil - Winter's Fans

Master Records Cd Shop is placed in Coronel Gomes Machado street, 173 / 207 - zip code: 24020-063 - centro - niteroi - rio de janeiro - brazil. If you want talk to us, write us on the adress above in name of Luiz Galvao

Brazil, May, 15th, 1997

hello,
I am Japanese My name is Daisuke Sato ,26year's old I like Johuuy Winter verry much. I'm live in Japan Kobe city. I can't speak English and use computer. But I read english Letter a little. I have gone to USA three time,When college student,around by Grey Hound Bus,is first time.(1991) secound time is when go to san fransisco in 1993,And my honney moon at last year.
I play the guiter in high school and college student,at winter's copy band. I play bonny morronie,roll with me,Tush(ZZ Top's)and any other southan rock'n roll song.(other band plays Japanese pop song or 80's rock)
I bought computer last month, his page is very nice.(I will read very slow!) good bye.(sorry bad english)

Hi there!
My name is Kent Andersson. I live in Rottneros, Sweden and I have been a JW fan since the early seventies. I first saw him in Stockholm in -74 and I was completely blown away by this Blues Tornado. I was only 16 years old back then, but JW and his music has had a great impact on me ever since. Nowadays I have my own band called B4 Blues and we often play JW songs on our gigs. We re just a semi-pro band playing locally and I don t by no means want to compare myself to JW! But we can get a crowd goin and it s a nice feeling to see people dig and dance to the music. (Allthough most of them don t know they re dancing to JW songs!) Thanks for a great web site and it s very interesting to read the fanmail from JW fans from all over the world!
Sincerely,
Kent Andersson

What a great web-site. My brother turned me on to JW when I was 15. I have seen him play in at least 10 times. Sorry to hear he is starting to slow down. He has not had any shows in my area Jacksonville, Fl in quite awhile. I have some decent photos that I took of him probally 10 years back. I have spoke with him briefly when I found out we were staying at the same hotel! My older brother has a great story about a show he did in Atlanta, Ga in the early 70's. Have not seen any new music in several years. I hope something comes out soon. I am always amazed at the lack of press for his brillant guitar playing.
Richard RNehrling@aol.com.

I'M 43 and first heard of Winter in the 1960's. His first album The Progressive Blues Experiment hit the streets and all the local guitarist wannabees were abuzz about this new guitar wiz. I went over to my friends house to hear the album and was blown away by the music,album cover and liner notes. Before the session there was Johnny and his guitar...during the session Johnny became the guitar.

Johnny Winter was to open for Jeff Beck at the Fillmore East. I bought tickets and at the night of the performance Bill Graham came out and informed us that Beck was a no show and would be replaced by Chuck Berry. I was sure that Beck was scared shitless to appear with Johnny on the same stage. Johnny opened the set with Rolling and Tumbling...he blew the roof off the Fillmore. Chuck wasn't bad either that night.

The next time I saw Johnny was as few months later at Dan Armstrongs' music shop in Greenwich Village. I was testing out a dan Armstrong plexi-glass transparent guitar with a removeable pickup when Winter himself entered the store. Mr. Armstrong was really kissing butt..addressing Johnny as Mr. Winter,anyway, Johnny picks up a telecaster and plugs in. I'm sitting there with a live guitar plugged into a some monster amp....boom...I start playing an A progression and Mr. Winter blasts out the sweetest notes these ears done ever did hear. O LORDY..IF THIS IS A DREAM I DON'T EVER WANT TO WAKE UP.

A year later I caught Johnny at a Queens College New York gig. This was after that Three sided album came out and his brother Edger was in the band. I believe that NRPQ opened the show. It was great. I later went on to attend Queens College and it was at this time that I joined a band with a Jeff Ganz. Jeff a a fellow guitar player at the time and we became very good friends. He later dropped the guitar and played bass. After graduation Jeff became a professional musician. Jeff kept in touch and joined the Roy Buchanaan band. Both Roy and Johnny had the same manager at this time,Steve "the guru" Paul. They were both signed to Alligator Records.

At one of the Blues Festivals, Johnny was testing out the sound system and asked Jeff to sit in...t. Shannon was off somewhere....anyway, they jammed and Johnny said afterwards that someday he would want Jeff as his bass player. I lost touched with Jeff over the years but was glad to see he played with Johnny.

Well dudes thats' the whole story and I hope I touched a few hearts with the past. Signed Elliot "Tweeter Faustus".

hello
I`m an 32 year old man from the middel part of norway ca 10km from the place named Hell, at hell they are having an blues festival evry year an it wold be like an dream com thru if johnny winter wold show up there. and if he sees the fun in playing in hell he could be intrest. Bernie Mardsen and Mickey Moody recorded their unplugged in hell during this festival. look at this web http://www.hell-blues.nt.no/
regards
Arild

Mr. Winter, I hope this reaches you. Kinda new to this computer thing... plugged into JW site today, 25 years after the first time... WPB Auditorium, FL . It is with a mix of distress and Hope that I write... Reading fan mail, a recurring theme is possible sickness, pain, and difficulty in function during performances... whatever the situation is, the time is long overdue to offer a simple, sincere Thank You. You were, and will always be, a major influence upon me as a person, and as a musician. I can count the major influences on both hands, and you are one of them. You probably can figure who the others are...No, I ain't famous, but I am for real, and so is my music... our blues. This weekend, here in Flagstaff, we have a little bash called "The Dally in The Alley"-- young and older, all kinds of music. I'm gonna haul my Regal 'dobro', and my skinny white ass on down, and play the blues. I'll start and end with "When You Got A Good Friend". It'll be for you. Wishing the best in health, and always happiness-- with a big grin...

Thank You.
Sincerely,

John E. Clark
Flagstaff, AZ,
by way of Jupiter, FL

Of my top fave players (Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Rory Gallagher), Johnny will always be the one that heads my list. He made me want to play a guitar, and made me see just how damn hard it really is. The greatest always make it look easy, you know. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've played air guitar to "Highway 61 Revisited" or that unbelievable break in "You Lie Too Much".

I have seen Johnny twice: in 1985 and 1988; both times in Dallas. He was flat-out fantastic each time. It is, therefore, with great regret that I find myself reading these current reviews that are often critical of his performances and/or health, and this concerns me. This must explain why he no longer tours to the great extent that he once did. If you've just seen Johnny for the first time and were disappointed by the performance, please do the following immediately: Get the following JW Cd's : "Progressive Blues Experiment", "Johnny Winter", "Johnny Winter And Live", "Still Alive and Well", "Captured Live", "Nothin' But the Blues", "Third Degree" and "Let Me In". Play them and you will understand what it's all about. You're on your own after that!

Johnny, you're the greatest ever, man. You don't have to prove a thing to anyone, ever. "Let Me In" took care of that. Maybe it's time to take care of yourself a little more; you've already given us so much. Please realize that your music will be around 200 years from now. As long as there are people, there will be blues. And as long as there are blues, you can reach anyone. Remember, Johnny, "Life Is Hard", but you've made it easier for all of us.
Thank you.

Any way that JW's management could help you out with a weekly update. All JW fans are obviously concerned about the greatest guitar player of all time. Seems like they would want to help out a little. Thanks for your efforts, I check on JW daily. It really is a superior web site! KUDOS! I grew up in Beaumont, TX so JW has been a big part of my life for almost all of my 42 years and I hope he continues to be with us for the next 42, GOD willing!
Thanx again,
Jeff
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I I saw Johnny a few years ago in Baltimore and he made the guitar scream and beg for mercy! My favorites of his however, are two accoustical pieces "Bladie Mae" and "TV Blues". I pick a little, but I'm not worthy to shine his shoes....few are...or were.

I keep hoping that I'll find out early enough to catch him in concert in New York, but everytime I've tried, its sold out or I find out only after the concert is come and gone!

Johnny, I hope I get to hear "TV Blues" one more time in person before I pass on.

I grew up in Houston and saw JW many times. Liberty Hall ect. I've always waited for a new release but nothing comes. I read the messages about his ill health and it bothers me. I got a bad feeling about this. I hope I'm wrong.I remember in the late 60's you could find JW jamming in houston, Dallas, austin, and such. I was amazed and still am. I really hope he is OK but I can understand when people are tired or not well. What an amazing guy he is.

Hello, I'm a Johnny's fan but I have never seen him on stage. Does anybody know if he will be soon in France? Another question: I'm looking for "blue moon" tab from "let me in" LP.  Well, that's all, I just would like to say that he is the greatest....

I have to admit this is the first time I've seen this site!.
Thank's for doing it!!!!
Johnny has been a hero of mine for 20 something years.

Hello I saw Johnny in Kalamazoo in March 97 He did not look too good. He looked as if he was in a lot of pain. He never smoked a cigarett during the performance. His voice sounded weak. He could still play but nothing like 3 yrs ago. Johnny please take care of yourself. Thanks for giving us a lifetime of great music. I have seen Johnny at least 25 times. I would like to see him again.

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