Brother Johnny

Brother Johnny
Studio album by
Edgar Winter
ReleasedApril 15, 2022 (2022-04-15)
Studio
GenreBlues rock
LabelQuarto Valley Records
Producer
Edgar Winter chronology
Rebel Road
(2008) 		Brother Johnny
(2022)

Brother Johnny is a studio album by American musician Edgar Winter. It was released on April 15, 2022, via Quarto Valley Records. Recording sessions took place at Capitol Studios and at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, and at Infinite Spin Recorders. Production was handled by Ross Hogarth and Winter himself, with Bruce Quarto serving as executive producer. It features contributions from Andrew Duckles, Billy Gibbons, Bill Payne, Bobby Rush, Bob Glaub, Charlie Bisharat, David Grissom, Derek Trucks, Doug Rappoport, Doyle Bramhall II, Gregg Bissonette, Harry Kim, Jacob Braun, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Walsh, John McFee, Josefina Vergara, Keb' Mo', Kenny Aronoff, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Michael McDonald, Phil X, Ringo Starr, Robben Ford, Sean Hurley, Stephen Kupka, Steve Lukather, Taylor Hawkins, Tim Pierce, Waddy Wachtel, Warren Haynes and Wayne Bergeron.

The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Current Album Sales, number 33 on the Top Album Sales, and topped the Top Blues Albums chart in the United States. It also reached number 6 on the Swiss Hitparade, and topped the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30. On February 5, 2023, it won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. It was ranked as the #18 best guitar album of 2022 by Guitar World readers.[1]

The album is served as a tribute album to musician and Edgar Winter's brother, Johnny Winter, who had died on July 16, 2014, in Switzerland at the age of 70.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
American Songwriter3.5/5[3]
Classic Rock[4]
laut.de[5]
Mojo[6]
The Telegraph[7]

Brother Johnny was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on four reviews.[2]

Writing for The Telegraph, Neil McCormick wrote: "it may be billed as a tribute to a lost star, but this Winter wonderland serves as a reminder that the blues is still very much alive and kicking".[7] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter wrote that the album "should send blues fans, or those new to his catalog, back to the initial recordings to appreciate the guitarist's talents at their most inspired".[3] Hugh Fielder of Classic Rock magazine wrote: "the results, from the likes of Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, are impressive. But ultimately you don't learn as much about Johnny himself as you would from listening to the originals of the 17 tracks presented here".[4]

In a mixed review, Mark Blake of Mojo resumed: "for every peak there's an occasional trough".[6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mean Town Blues" (featuring Joe Bonamassa)Johnny Winter5:04
2."Still Alive And Well" (featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd)Rick Derringer3:42
3."Lone Star Blues" (featuring Keb' Mo')Edgar Winter3:57
4."I'm Yours And I'm Hers" (featuring Billy Gibbons and Derek Trucks)Johnny Winter4:49
5."Johnny B. Goode" (featuring David Grissom and Joe Walsh)Chuck Berry3:27
6."Stranger" (featuring Michael McDonald, Joe Walsh and Ringo Starr)Johnny Winter4:06
7."Highway 61 Revisited" (featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John McFee)Bob Dylan5:01
8."Rock 'n' Roll Hoochie Koo" (featuring Steve Lukather)Derringer4:03
9."When You Got a Good Friend" (featuring Doyle Bramhall II)Robert Johnson3:52
10."Jumpin' Jack Flash" (featuring Phil X)
5:13
11."Guess I'll Go Away" (featuring Taylor Hawkins and Doug Rappoport)Johnny Winter3:37
12."Drown in My Own Tears"Henry Glover5:31
13."Self Destructive Blues" (featuring Joe Bonamassa)Johnny Winter3:35
14."Memory Pain" (featuring Warren Haynes)Percy Mayfield5:44
15."Stormy Monday Blues" (featuring Robben Ford)Aaron Thibeaux Walker5:25
16."Got My Mojo Workin'" (featuring Bobby Rush)Preston Foster4:13
17."End of the Line" (featuring the David Campbell String Ensemble)Johnny Winter4:24

Personnel

  • Edgar Winter – lead vocals (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17), organ (tracks: 2, 11, 14), keyboards (tracks: 4, 10), piano (tracks: 5–7, 12, 13, 15–17), saxophone (track 5), mellotron (track 6), synth (track 6), clavinet (track 8), alto and tenor saxophone (track 12), producer
  • Joe Bonamassa – slide guitar (track 1), lead vocals & guitar (track 13)
  • Sean Hurley – bass (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 13, 14, 17)
  • Gregg Bissonette – drums (tracks: 1–5, 7, 8, 10–17)
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd – guitar solo (track 2), lead guitar (track 7)
  • Philip "Phil X" Xenidis – backing vocals (track 2), rhythm guitar (track 2), supporting vocals (tracks: 5, 8, 10), additional rhythm guitar (track 8), guitar solo (track 10)
  • Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore – vocals & guitars (track 3)
  • Billy Gibbons – lead vocals & solo guitar (track 4)
  • Derek Trucks – slide guitars (track 4)
  • David Grissom – guitar (tracks: 4, 5, 16)
  • Joe Walsh – lead vocals (track 5), lead guitar (track 6)
  • Bob Glaub – bass (tracks: 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16)
  • Michael McDonald – lead vocals (track 6), supporting vocals (track 16)
  • Tim Pierce – acoustic and electric guitar (track 6), rhythm guitar (tracks: 6, 8)
  • Ringo Starr – drums (track 6)
  • Kenny Aronoff – percussion (tracks: 6, 10), timbale solo (track 10)
  • John McFee – slide guitar (track 7), supporting vocals (track 16)
  • Bill Payne – organ (track 7)
  • Steve Lukather – guitar solo (track 8)
  • Doyle Bramhall II – lead vocals & guitars (track 9)
  • Waddy Wachtel – rhythm guitar (track 10)
  • Taylor Hawkins – lead vocals (track 11)
  • Doug Rappoport – guitars (track 11)
  • Stephen Kupka – baritone saxophone (track 12)
  • Wayne Bergeron – trumpet (track 12)
  • Harry Kim – trumpet (track 12)
  • Warren Haynes – lead vocals & guitar (track 14)
  • Robben Ford – guitar (track 15)
  • Emmett "Bobby Rush" Ellis Jr. – lead vocals & harp (track 16)
  • Jacob Braun – cello (track 17)
  • Charlie Bisharat – violin (track 17)
  • Josefina Vergara – violin (track 17)
  • Andrew Duckles – viola (track 17)
  • Ross Hogarth – producer, engineering
  • Peter Brownlee – engineering assistant
  • Chad Gordon – engineering assistant
  • Jeff Fitzpatrick – engineering assistant
  • Marciel Miranda – engineering assistant
  • Mitchell Miller – engineering assistant
  • Bobby Tis – additional recording
  • Bruce Sugar – additional recording
  • Casey Wasner – additional recording
  • Brendan McCusker – technical engineering assistant
  • Nigel Lundemo – technical engineering assistant
  • Richard Dodd – mastering
  • Bruce Quarto – executive producer

Charts

Chart performance for Brother Johnny
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 6
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[9] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[10] 33
US Top Blues Albums (Billboard)[11] 1

References

  1. ^ Horsley, Jonathan (21 December 2022). "The best guitar albums of 2022". Guitar World. Future plc. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Brother Johnny – Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (April 13, 2022). "Review: High Voltage Stars Heat Up Edger Winter's Sizzling Tribute To His Guitar Slinging 'Brother Johnny'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Fielder, Hugh (April 15, 2022). "Edgar Winter gets the greats in and pays impressive tribute to brother Johnny". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Kause, Philipp. "Facettenreiches Tribute mit viel Emotion und großen Stars". laut.de (in German). Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Blake, Mark (May 2022). "Mojo – May 2022". MOJO. p. 88. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  7. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (April 15, 2022). "Edgar Winter keeps the blues alive and kicking – plus this week's best albums". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Edgar Winter – Brother Johnny". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Edgar Winter Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  11. ^ "Edgar Winter Chart History (Top Blues Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2023.