Johnny Winter At Woodstock
With huge acts like Jimmy Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival on the bill, I guess it would be easy to overlook Johnny Winter at Woodstock. But his performance was on point and so was his band.
Winter’s 65 minute blistering set kicked off at midnight with Tommy Shannon on bass guitar and Uncle John Turner on drums. Johnny’s brother Edgar would join them on a few songs also, playing sax, keyboards and vocals.
Let’s look at the setlist of Johnny Winter at Woodstock (from the album Johnny Winter – The Woodstock Experience) and break it down, song by song.
Mama Talk To Your Daughter
Johnny Winter borrowed this grooving little blues buggy by JB Lenoir and added a V8 engine and some high octane fuel. Right from the opening guitar riff and it’s chugging rhythm, you know you are in for a fun ride.
Let’s get this accurate right from the outset; Johnny Winter at Woodstock is not him giving a masterclass in precision, note-perfect playing. It is however a masterclass in how to play with all the feel and energy that can be mustered by a guitarist.
With only a bass guitarist and drummer backing him on this first number, Johnny plays his lead licks with a rhythm guitar feel. Repetition (in a good way) draws you in and holds you. They leave you wanting more. Only a very talented and soulful player is capable of this
Leland Mississippi Blues
The fuzzy tones of Winter’s guitar are a highlight for this cracking, Winter-penned song. With a vocal melody that syncs with the notes on the guitar, Leland Mississippi Blues shows off the deep understanding Winter had for the blues artists that went before him.
The other thing about this tough riff and biting tone, is that it is very Texas. There is something about the relationship with the Lone Star state and blues. It’s almost like the players from there have a blues-brand burned into their butt. A branding that sends them on their way with some fire in the belly.
This song really shows off the band. Shannon and (particularly) Turner lay down a rhythm section that makes you forget there is no second guitarist. This allows Winter to ‘float’ a little over the top with the integrity of the song intact.
Meantown Blues
If Leland Mississippi Blues was the Delta dressed in Dallas, Meantown Blues is Texas standing buck naked; adorned only with a pair of holstered six guns. It doesn’t get any tougher than this for Texas Blues.
Winter’s singing voice growls like a Texas dust storm and at times he spontaneously moans, or cries out before (or during) an instrumental section. However when he introduces this song to the crowd, he is softly spoken and announces “Here’s a little bottleneck thing for ya. It’s from our first album.”
You could almost be lulled into thinking he’s about to play some slow, slide blues. But when the riff kicks in you know he’s got you back on that bucking Texas bronco. But it’s not 8 secs. It’s a 10 minute 40 sec ride full of delicious, swirling licks and riffs with perfect dynamics that hold you in the listeners saddle.
You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now
When Johnny Winter was just a kid he took a chance and introduced himself to the great BB King and told him he was a guitar player. King then took a chance himself by letting a white kid up on stage to play with him. It worked out well and King was blown away with Winter’s skill.
This performance is Winter saying thanks to the blues legend that gave a scrawny white kid a shot at playing with the big boys. And while Johnny Winter may not have been known as a slow blues kinda guy, this is a fine tribute to The King.
I Can't Stand It
One of the best things about Johnny Winter at Woodstock was that his brother, Edgar, was there too. This is the song where he makes his entrance as his brother introduces him to the crowd.
The moment this song launches you would swear you were listening to something from Winter’s second record, Second Winter. They had been recording in Nashville and Edgar’s distinct keyboard tones were all over it. Yet, when you look at the track listing there’s no trace of it.
Obviously it was a working title and they changed it to, I’m Not Sure, which is the second track on Second Winter.
This was a heads up to the Woodstock crowd of the fantastic album headed their way that year.
Tobacco Road
Although The Nashville Teens had a big hit with an upbeat take on this song 5 years earlier, The Winter brothers decided to bring it back closer to the original JD Loudermilk version.
Edgar takes lead vocals on the track and lays down some very impressive organ too. It is a brooding rendition that breaks out into multiple jam sections, replete with jazz style scatting that highlights Edgar’s wide ranging talents.
After hearing such dark, ominous music underpinning the gut wrenching lyrics, “I was born in a trunk, my Mama died and my Daddy got drunk.” It seems almost ridiculous that the Nashville Teens made Tobacco Road into a pop hit.
Tell The Truth
Everyone has Johnny Winter pegged as a “blues guy” but it would be remiss not to acknowledge his rock and roll roots too. It played a HUGE part in his sound.
The two brothers (like most kids of the era) soaked up rock and roll when it first exploded onto the airwaves and started a band called, Johnny and The Jammers.
This song emphasises their rock and roll roots but equally demonstrates how accomplished they had become since Johnny and The Jammers’ debut recording in 1960. Johnny’s voice and guitar got bluesier, while Edgar had obviously been a sponge for many styles of music.
This melting pot makes for a very unique take on a rock and roll song (originally) from the 1950s. It has a vibrant energy that the mega-talented Winter brothers spontaneously inject into it. They are unconsciously channelling the spirits of their past while playing live, in front of many thousands of people.
Johnny B Goode
After such a mind blowing set, there is no way Winter and the band were going home early. The loud chanting of “WE WANT MORE” from the crowd was heard and the band returned for an encore.
If Tell The Truth was a mere hint at Johnny Winters Rock and Roll roots then Johnny B Goode would drive the point home like a battering ram.
Edgar boogies on piano, Shannon turns the screws tight on Turner’s pounding drum beat and Johnny attacks Chuck Berry’s guitar chops like a mad butcher on a Friday afternoon.
This high voltage version of Johnny B Goode made it onto the Second Winter album .When Winter announced before the encore that he intended to record the iconic hit, there would have been many folks making mental notes to hit the record stores upon its release.
If the Woodstock crowd didn’t know who Johnny Winter was before midnight on Sunday 17th August, 1969, they sure knew who he was just over an hour into the next day.
Concert Audio and Video Footage
You can find the full Johnny Winter at Woodstock audio here ====> Complete audio and video recordings of Johnny Winter at Woodstock 1969
The only video (Meantown Blues) from the set can be found here ===> Johnny Winter – Woodstock 1969.mp4
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