Johnny Winter is an American blues guitarist and singer.
He was born John Dawson Winter III in Beaumont, Texas on February 23, 1944.
He began performing at a young age with his brother Edgar. His recording career began at the age of 15, when their band released "Schoolboy Blues" on a Houston record label. During this same period, he was able to see performances by classic blues artists such as Muddy Waters, B. B. King and Bobby Bland.
In 1968, Johnny began playing in a trio with bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner. An article in Rolling Stone magazine help generate interest in the group. The album "Johnny Winter" was released near the end of that year. He performed at a number of rock festivals including Woodstock.
In 1970, he recorded the classic rock tune "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" with a group, Johnny Winter And, that included Rick Derringer and Randy Jo Hobbs from The McCoys.
In 1973, after struggling with a drug problem, he returned in classic form with "Still Alive and Well".
In 1977, he produced the Muddy Waters recording, "Hard Again". Their partnership produced a number of Grammy-winning recordings and he recorded the album "Nothing but the Blues" with members from Muddy Waters' band.
In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
