- Born: February 23, 1944 in Beaumont, TX
- Years Active: 1970-2008
- Member of: Johnny Winter And
- Genre: Rock & Alternative
- Influenced by: Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Slim, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Guitar Slim, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed
- Followed By: Jay Hooks, Bill Perry, K-Floor, Jim Suhler, T-Model Ford, Joe Bonamassa, George Thorogood, Dave Hole, Wolfe, Nelsen Adelard, Joe Satriani
- Similar Artists: Luther Allison, Michael Bloomfield, Billy Branch, Lonnie Brooks, Paul Butterfield, William Clarke, Magic Slim, Charlie Musselwhite, Roomful of Blues, Son Seals, The Allman Brothers Band, Jeff Beck, Elvin Bishop, Roy Buchanan, Canned Heat, Rick Derringer, Electric Flag, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, J. Geils Band, Jeff Healey, Cub Koda, John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, George Thorogood, Albert Collins, Status Quo, Duane Allman, Savoy Brown, Eric Clapton, Derek & the Dominos, Edgar Winter, Peter Green, Jon Paris, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Blues guitarist Johnny Winter became a major star in the late '60s and early '70s. Since that time he's confirmed his reputation in the blues by working with Muddy Waters and continuing to play in the style, despite musical fashion. Born in Beaumont, TX, Winter formed his first band at 14 with his brother Edgar in Beaumont, and spent his youth in recording studios cutting regional singles and in bars playing the blues. His discovery on a national level came via an article in Rolling Stone in 1968, which led to a management contract with New York club owner Steve Paul and a record deal with Columbia. His debut album (there are numerous albums of juvenilia), Johnny Winter, reached the charts in 1969. Starting out with a trio, Winter later formed a band with former members of the McCoys, including second guitarist Rick Derringer. It was called Johnny Winter And. He achieved a sales peak in 1971 with the gold-selling Live/Johnny Winter And. He returned in 1973 with Still Alive and Well, his highest-charting album. His albums became more overtly blues-oriented in the late '70s and he also produced several albums for Muddy Waters. In the '80s he switched to the blues label Alligator for three albums, and has since recorded for the labels MCA and Pointblank/Virgin.
The early-2000s were quiet as far as new Winter recordings, but there were a number of significant reissues. Alligator issued the best of their years with the artist as Deluxe Edition in 2001, Columbia/Legacy covered his 1969-1971 period with their 2002 release Best of Johnny Winter, and Fuel 2000 came up with Winter's earliest recordings and compiled them on 2003's Winter Essentials 1960-1967. Sony reissued Winter's 1969 self-titled album with five bonus tracks in 2004, the same year the man returned with his first new album in nearly eight years, I'm a Bluesman. The archival reissues continued with Fuel's Introduction to Johnny Winter in 2006, which collected sides Winter recorded in his pre-Columbia years between 1960 and 1967 for the Dart, KCRO, Frolic, Todd, Hall-Way, and Pacemaker imprints. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide