![]() "Although his early Columbia albums brought him worldwide stardom, it was this modest little album (first released on Imperial before the Columbia sides) that first brought Johnny Winter to the attention of guitarheads in America. It was issued on Imperial as “The Progressive Blues Experiment” and several years later reissued on UA as “Johnny Winter - Austin, Texas” After the dust had settled, Johnny was with Columbia and the Sonobeat LP had been bought by United Artists. Some were sold through local stores and the mail, but it was a simple white jacket advance album designed to stir up record company interest. Meanwhile Sonobeat pressed up a couple hundred demo LPs of “Winter” and passed them around. Steve Paul, of NYC, got interested and put Winter under an exclusive management contract, then the record company bidding began. Rolling Stone did a story on Texas that featured Johnny (Larry Sepulvado of Mother Magazine wrote quite a bit of that Texas issue for R.S.). Josey immediately signed him to a short term deal and recorded several tracks at the Vulcan Gas Co.Ī single was released, #197 “Mean Town Blues/Rollin’ N’ Tumblin'”, but other people were amazed by this incredible guitar player and the Johnny Winter publicity campaign started rolling. Bill Josey heard of this terrific band and in checking with Johnny found he was free of contracts. In 1968 he decided to try the blossoming hippie scene in Austin with at a hard-driving blues/rock band called simply “Winter”, Tommy Shannon and John Turner supplied the backing and the group played many shows around town. Johnny Winter had grown up in Beaumont, Texas, and recorded many records for local labels in the early ’60s, but real success had eluded him. The article brought nation wide attention to the album “The Progressive Blues Experiment”, a collection of songs that Johnny’s trio had recorded live at the Vulcan Gas Company, which was quickly picked up for national release by Imperial. The author devoted three paragraphs to Johnny, whom he referred to as “the hottest item outside of Janis Joplin”. Their shows at Austin’s Vulcan Gas Company and Houston’s Love Street Light Circus, attracted the attention of a writer for Rolling Stone magazine, who had been writing an article about the Texas hippie scene. In 1968, Johnny began playing in a trio with bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner. Originally “The Progressive Blues Experiment” was recorded on the Sonobeat label during October 1968 and the rights were obtained by Imperial which released the album in March 1969, just before Johnny released his self-titled (aka Black Album) in April 1969. Most Johnny Winter Fans consider “The Progressive Blues Experiment” one of Johnny Winter’s best albums if not the best. Writing in Rolling Stone magazine, after Winter’s death, David Marchese said “Winter was one of the first blues rock guitar virtuosos, releasing a string of popular and fiery albums in the late Sixties and early Seventies, becoming an arena-level concert draw in the process … made an iconic life for himself by playing the blues.Info for Progressive Blues Experiment (Remastered) According to his guitarist friend and record producer Paul Nelson, Winter died of emphysema combined with pneumonia. The cause of his death was not officially released. He was found dead in his hotel room two days after his last performance, at the Cahors Blues Festival in France on July 14, at the age of 70. Winter was professionally active until the time of his death near Zurich, Switzerland, on July 16, 2014. ![]() In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and in 2003, he was ranked 63rd in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Johnny Winter (Febru– July 16, 2014) nwas Best known for his high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters.Īfter his time with Waters, Winter recorded several Grammy-nominated blues albums.
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