Beginning in 1973, Winter's music was issued by Blue Sky Records, a Columbia custom label. At Blue Sky, Winter also became a producer and was responsible for releases by Chicago blues pioneer Muddy Waters.[2] He produced Hard Again (1977), which earned Waters a Grammy Award and helped re-establish his popularity. In the years after 1984, Winter changed record companies several times, never remaining with any one for more than three albums. These included Alligator Records, MCA Records' Voyager subsidiary, Point Blank Records, Virgin Records, and Megaforce Records.[2] In 2007, he began producing a number of albums from his personal recordings, designated the "Live Bootleg Series".[5] Winter's last studio album, Step Back, released shortly after his death in 2014, was his most successful in the record charts since his Columbia period.[3] Several live albums and compilations have appeared on Billboard's "Blues Albums" specialty chart.[6]
Throughout his career, Winter's recording catalogue was plagued by bootleg albums and unauthorized re-releases of singles from his early pre-Columbia Records days.[2][7] These records competed with his official releases and some were doctored with later overdubs by other musicians.[8] Royalties were not Winter's primary concern: "I just don't want that bullshit out... It's just bad music."[9]
Albums
Studio albums
List of studio albums with year, title, details, chart peak, and reference(s)
The "Live Bootleg Series" are authorized, official releases produced by Winter for the Friday Music label. The CDs and LPs include the notice: "All master recordings are owned and controlled by Johnny Winter and are compiled from the authorized Johnny Winter archives". The recordings were not state-of-the-art for the time and many similar recordings had previously circulated as actual bootleg albums. The peak chart positions refer to Billboard's "Blues Albums" chart (none appeared on the broader Billboard 200 album chart).
List of "Live Bootleg Series" albums with year, title, details, chart peak, and reference(s)
After Winter signed to Columbia Records in 1969, his former associates began licensing albums consisting of Winter's early singles and demos for various labels.[2] These 40 or so songs continue to be re-packaged and re-released by numerous small record companies.[2] In several interviews, Winter asserts that these were unauthorized and that some have been overdubbed with other musicians.[7] For completeness, two of the more noteworthy compilations of pre-1968 recordings are included. The rest of those listed below contain songs that were recorded from 1968 on.
List of compilation albums with year, title, details, chart peak, and reference(s)
Note: Winter produced the album, plays guitar on several tracks, and sings backing vocals on one track; won Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.
Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty is a documentary film about the life and music career of Johnny Winter. It was directed by Greg Olliver and is 104 minutes long. The movie premiered on March 12, 2014, at the South by Southwest Film Festival.[117][118] It was released on DVD on March 4, 2016.[119]
Footnotes
^ abcdefghiOn the RPM charts in Canada, Johnny Winter reached No. 23;[11]Second Winter No. 60;[12]Still Alive and Well No. 7;[13]Saints & Sinners No. 40;[14]John Dawson Winter III No. 77;[15]Guitar Slinger No. 73;[16]Johnny Winter And Live No. 48;[17] "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" No. 79;[18] and "Boney Moroney" No. 97.[19]
^ abcdOn the UK Albums chart, Second Winter reached No. 59; Johnny Winter And No. 29; Step Back No. 41; and Johnny Winter And Live No. 20.[21]
^ abOn the Australian album chart, Still Alive and Well reached No. 48; and Saints & Sinners No. 78.[24]
^ abcdefghijOn Billboard's Blues Albums chart, I'm a Bluesman reached No. 7; Live in NYC '97 No. 7; The Woodstock Experience No. 1; Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70 No. 1; The King of Slide No. 6; The Best of Johnny Winter No. 11; The Johnny Winter Anthology No. 11; True to the Blues: The Johnny Winter Story No. 2; Remembrance Vol. 1 No. 8; and Breakin' It Up, Breakin' It Down No. 3.[6]
^"Crying in My Heart" with "Broke and Lonely" was re-released by Jin Records (174).
^Although Winter's AllMusic biography states that he also recorded a version of "Harlem Shuffle" with the Traits,[2] Sullivan's more comprehensive book about Winter does not mention the 1966 single: "In 1967, Johnny also performed briefly with the Traits, a Houston-based band, and played on 'Tramp'/'Parchman Farm,' ... He joined the band after vocalist Roy Head left, which was shortly after the release of the band's hit single 'Treat Her Right'."[86]
^ abcOn the Cash Box Looking Ahead chart, "Silver Train" reached No. 112, "Stone County" No. 106, and "Boney Moroney" No. 103.[95]
^Although he is often listed as the second guitarist on Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead, the infamous live Jimi Hendrix jam bootleg with Jim Morrison, Winter claims "I didn't play with him [Morrison]; I never even met Jim Morrison. It really worried me that they had that record out and said I was on it when I wasn't."[115]
^"Top 50 Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 11, no. 17. June 23, 1969. Archived(PDF) from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 12, no. 19. December 27, 1969. Archived(PDF) from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 19, no. 21. July 7, 1973. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM Top Albums". RPM. Vol. 21, no. 9. April 13, 1974. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Bac-lac.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Top Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 22, no. 20. January 11, 1975. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Top Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 40, no. 18. July 7, 1984 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Albums"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 15, no. 9. April 17, 1971. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM100 Singles"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 14, no. 14. November 21, 1970. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^"RPM Top 100 Singles"(PDF). RPM. Vol. 21, no. 18. June 22, 1974. Archived(PDF) from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^Live Bootleg Series Vol. 13 (Album notes). Johnny Winter. Friday Music. 2016. Back cover. FRM 1169.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Live Bootleg Series (It's Johnny's Birthday) (Album notes). Johnny Winter. Friday Music. 2018. Back cover. FRM 22344.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
