Johnny Winter Songs Ranked
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014), known as Johnny Winter, was an American blues singer and guitarist. Best known for his high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. After his time with Waters, Winter recorded several Grammy-nominated blues albums. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and in 2003, he was ranked 63rd in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. His recording career began at the age of fifteen when his band Johnny and the Jammers released “School Day 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 the early days, Winter would sometimes sit in with Roy Head and the Traits when they performed in the Beaumont area, and in 1967, Winter recorded a single with the Traits: “Tramp” backed with “Parchman Farm” (Universal Records 30496). In 1968, he released his first album The Progressive Blues Experiment, on Austin’s Sonobeat Records. Here are all of Johnny Winter songs ranked.
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15. Self Destruction Blues (John Dawson Winter III, 1974)
“Winters impact on the rock & roll blues scene has been forgotten by many today who don’t know the pioneers. Dust off the old albums and track the connection from Muddy Waters to Stevie Ray Vaughn”
14. Help Me (The Progressive Blues Experiment, 1969)
“The Dixon/Williamson tune “Help Me” comes at you with volcanic ashes. It’s not his high sounded voice who makes this album a gem, it’s the virtuoso guitar playing who gives this album a place in the annals of blues rock.”
13. Memory Pain (Second Winter, 1969)
“‘Memory Pain’ starts things off right, and lets you know what you’re in for with the rest of the ride. The album opener, Memory Pain is as good a stinging testament to Winter’s Guitar chops as anything on the album.”
12. Be Careful With a Fool (Johnny Winter, 1969)
“Great blues by one of the best blues players ever. To me it’s Johnny’s best guitar piece and that’s saying a lot. Johnny (Guitar) Winter rocks your socks off on this album”
See more: Johnny Winter Albums Ranked
11. Miss Ann (Second Winter, 1969)
“The reality of the situation is that albums like this made me want to be a guitarist. Miss Ann, for instance, led me to appreciate jazz. it is really a jazz song, and the lead and rhythm are smooth as silk.”
10. Still Alive and Well (Still Alive and Well, 1973)
“Typical Johnny Winter Texas blues rock long play. It has scorching blues guitar throughout with a great southern blues vibe goin’ on. One of his better recordings but all-in-all the quality of his stuff varies very little record to record.”
9. Mother-In-Law Blues (Scorchin’ Blues, 1992)
“Superb Blues played by a superb blues guitarist in Johnny Winter, the father of the modern blues guitar genre. A superb collection of blues tracks played to perfection by a true legend.”
8. Hustled Down in Texas (Second Winter, 1969)
“Second Winter is easily Johnny Winter’s most popular and well-recieved album to date. Hell, it might even be his greatest overall. Packed with his virtuosic finger pickin half slide half, not blues guitar playing and his rough and scratchy vocals, and as far as studio recordings go, this is the best he ever played or sung. He just sounds great all around.”
7. Highway 61 Revisited (Second Winter, 1969)
“A fantastic blues interpretation of ‘Highway 61 Revisited’, written by the godfather of songwriting, Bob Dylan. “Johnny is Good” made this Classic his own. It`s no wonder that he closes out a lot of his shows with this GREAT number. Of course, he has the fine guitarist, Paul Nelson, covering his back. This is a NO MISS HIT for everyone who loves Johnny`s work.”
6. Dallas (Johnny Winter, 1969)
“So many greats, but I’m always drawn back to this. It’s just great Blues. I love the simpleness about it. I love his vocals and I love that guitar. Dallas is a very good song. Sounds so good everything sounds good”
See more: Rick Derringer Albums Ranked
5. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (The Progressive Blues Experiment, 1968)
“Rollin’ and Tumblin'” opens with the most infectious melody on the album. I remember the first time I listened to it and thinking, ‘wow, this is the late sixties???’ This album is more than just a rock em’ sock em’ blues engine”
4. I’ll Drown in My Tears (Johnny Winter, 1969)
“Truthfully, it’s not a bad cover. His brother Edgar adds a nice little piano line on this track. But it’s just so badly out of place on this record, with the horns accompaniment and all.”
3. Johnny B. Goode (Second Winter, 1969)
” The cover of “Johnny B. Goode” can be heard on many subsequent live albums for obviously reasons. It carries a great solo, but carries essentially the same melody and feel as Berry’s original.”
2. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Johnny Winter And, 1970)
“Rick and Johnny both write songs on this recording and this is the debut recording of “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” written by Rick Derringer and sung by Johnny Winter. Of course this song went on to be one of Rick Derringer’s signature songs. This is a studio recording and a subsequent recording with this band- Johnny Winter And Live- explodes with energy, drive and outstanding blues.”
1. I’m Yours and I’m Hers (Johnny Winter, 1969)
“I love the slide guitar riff in this. Johnny was awesome. Johnny Winter is the best blues guitar player to cross our planet. There are lots of greats but to me Johnny is the one and only king of the crazy ass blues!”