The Johnny Winter Story

In May 1970 starts with the first European tour of Johnny, Uncle and Tommy. 1970 is an interesting year in the life of Johnny Winter. Whereas it's commonly accepted that he decided to go off in a different direction with his music, and subsequently let Tommy Shannon and John Turner go in favor of others, another story has it that they were actually fired because the recent European tour was a disaster. Either way, the sixties pop/rock group The McCoys became no more when Johnny Winter And became.

On co-lead guitar, there was Rick Derringer. Derringer, whose real name was Rick Zehringer, would also contribute by way of vocals, song writing and producing: he had changed his name just prior to joining the band. His brother, Randy Zehringer, who now went by Randy Z, played drums while Randy Jo Hobbs played bass and sang background vocals. Johnny played guitar.

"Second Winter" makes US #55, "Johnny Be Goode" peaks at US #92.

Bath Rock Festival - England

Thursday, 26 and 27 February 1970: Jack Bruce and Friends, Fillmore West, San Francisco

 

The list of "Friends" included: Larry Coryell, Mike Mandel & Mitch Mitchell

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Beatclub TV-show, Radio Bremen, Germany. Parts of this TV show are available on various DVD, see the Video section for the details.

Saturday, 7 March 1970: The Olympic Auditorium Los Angeles, CA with Edgar Winter

This concert of Johnny Winter is available on the bootleg "Plays The Olympic Auditorium",

Band:
1. Johnny Winter - Guitar Vocals
2. Edgar Winter - Sax, Electric Piano, Vocals
3. Uncle John Turner - drums
4. Tommy Shannon - bass

1. Talk To Your Daughter
2. Mean Mistreater
3. Johnny B. Goode
4. Tobacco Road
5. Double Drum Solo (Frankenstein)
6. Tell The Truth
7. Mean Town Blues

Thursday, 12 March 1970: Panther Hall, Fort Worth.,

The Brotherhood and Associated Disciples of Live present: Johnny Winter with special Guest: Blue Cheer

 

22 March 1970, Labor Temple in Minneapolisa

Labor Temple in Minneapolis

27,28 and 29 March 1970, Winter's End, Miami, Florida

27,28 and 29 March 1970, Winter's End, Miami, Florida

 

 

Friday & Saturday 10-11 Apr 1970, Howard Stein's Capitol Theatre in Port Chester

 

Sunday 12 Apr 1970, Sport Arena, Atlanta

 

Sunday, 12 April 1970 - Atlanta Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

Friday, 17 April 1970 - Royal Albert Hall, London with Flock and Steamhammer.

CBS Records in association with Robert Paterson presents two great contemporary rock concerts, "The Sound of the 70'S"

This concert of Johnny Winter at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970 has been filmed and is released on the DVD "Legends of Rock". The audio recording of this concert of Johnny Winter at the Royal Albert Hall will be released together with the expanded edition of the album: "Second Winter".

Johnny Winter Royal Albert Hall London April 1970

• Friday 17 April 1970 19:30: Steamhammer, Flock, Johnny Winter
• Saturday 18 April 1970 19:30: Taj Mahal, It's a Beautiful Day, Santana

Johnny Winter's Setlist:
1. Help Me
2. Johnny B. Goode
3. Mama Talk To Your Daughter
4. It's My Own Fault
5. Black Cat Bone
6. Mean Town Blues
7. Tobacco Road
8. Frankenstein
9. ell The Truth

Saturday, 18 April 1970: Beat-Club German TV Show

Some of the songs performed:
1. Johnny B. Goode
2. Mean Town Blues

Sunday, 26 April 1970: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

Setlist:
1. Help me
2. Johnny b. goode
3. Talk to your daughter
4. Be careful with a fool
5. Black cat bone
6. Mean town blues
7. Tobacco road [Edgar Winter on vocals, keyboards and sax]
8. Frankenstein [with Edgar Winter )
9. Tell the truth [with Edgar Winter]

May 1970

Johnny Winter breaks up his band with John Turner and Tommy Shannon and starts his new band AND together with the McCoys

Monday, 4 May 1970

Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding attend a benefit for Timothy Leary

Friday, 8 May 1970 - Houston's Hofheinz Pavillion

Johnny Winter And jam concert with B.B King

May 1970: "Second Winter" is his UK chart debut at #59. Johnny supports Jimi Hendrix at the "Holding Together" benefit for Timothy Leary, at New York's Village Gate.

June 1970 Montreux Jazz Festival

Setlist:
1. Johnny B. Goode
2. Mean mistreater
3. Black cat bone
4. Help me
5. Talk to your daughter
6. Mean town blues

26,27 and 28 June 1970? People's Fair, Madison

26,27 and 28 June 1970? People's Fair, Madison

 

25-28 June 1970: Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

Poster Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970

Johnny played on Saturday the 27th, the set list:

• Guess I'll Go Away
• Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo
• Talk To Your Daughter
• Prodigal Son
• Rollin' & Tumblin'
• Black Cat Bone
• Five Long Years?
• Good Morning Little School girl
• Johnny B. Goode
• Mean Town Blues
• Eyesight to the Blind (rare)

Related Links
• Johnny Winter At Bath

Johnny Winter at Bath Festival 1970

Freddy Bannister (promoter of pop festivals in the seventies) and his daughter Wendy Bannister have producd a commemorative box set called "Just Broken Even", with information on the Bath pop festivals

 

Anyone interested in purchasing the set should email to info@rockmusicmemorabilia.com

From the Bath Official Programme:
"When Johnny Winter was a twelve year old kid in the deep of Leland, Mississippi, he first heard the blues crackling on the old wooden radio. He then went out and bought every single blues record he could afford, taught himself to play guitar, and by the age of 15, he had a band. And that was the start."

The set includes the following: the programmes, flyers and tickets from the following festivals

• 1969 Bath Festival
• 1970 Bath Festival
• 1971 Lincoln Festival

1. A photo album of 28 photos mainly backstage at 1970 Bath
2. A hardbacked book on the problems promoting the festivals.
3. The 1970 Bath Festival poster and as a special gift 5 CDs, which we have been given, and will include with the set to any fan from the The Johnny Winter Story site.
4. The CDs include the following:
5. A 3 x 74 mins CD set live from the 1970 Bath Festival with Johnny Winter, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa, Steppenwolf, Led Zeppelin, Santana, The Byrds, Canned Heat, John Mayall, Donovan, Hot Tuna, Country Joe,
6. Plus an additional 1 x 74 mins CD of Johnny Winter's live performance from the Bath Festival.
7. 1 CD from 1971 Lincoln Festival a CD of The Byrds ,James Tayler and Sandy Denny

The cost of the set is £75 plus postage Anyone interested in purchasing the set should email to info@rockmusicmemorabilia.com

 

Monday, 29 June 1970: Paris, France

Saturday, 4 July 1970: Atlanta International Pop Festival Middle Georgia Raceway near Byron GA.

Edgar Winter - drums

Bentz remembers:
On July 3,4,5, 1970 the Second International Atlanta Pop Festival was held in a bean field at Byron GA. Bryon GA is a small community just off the Interstate in the Macon area. It was hot, getting up to 105 in the shade during the day. I had seen Johnny at West Palm and told everyone about his brother Edgar and the jam session with Vanilla Fudge, Janis Joplin, and the Winters. We were pumped, cause we figured Johnny would be ready to jam and I had everyone hyped to see Edgar. And we figured the possibilities were endless in that the band list included the headliner, Jimi Hendrix and also some other fine axe men, like Robin Trower, BB King, Alvin Lee, Leslie West, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts, Terry Reid, and some others on instruments like Dave LaFlamme on violin and Lee Michaels on organ.

So, I was VERY disappointed to read in the paper just before the show that Johnny had a new band. And it was the McCoys. I mean, what was he going to play, Hang on Sloopy!!!!!! The write ups of the new album didn't really give us a clue. But, I was bummed. Big time.

Well, when we get to Byron, we eventually learn that Johnny and Jimi play on different nights (Jimi played at midnight, July 4th with fireworks) so that possiblity was out. But, the Allman Brothers and Alvin Lee with Ten Years After were set for the same night, Sunday, as Johnny.

Well, needless to say, we need not have worried about Johnny. When the band hit the stage, they just flat kicked ass. The only SONG I really remember was Rock N Roll Hootchie Coo. But Johnny and Rick just played their hearts out and were great. I was only about 50 feet from the stage and was actually right under the mic that Johnny used when they came out. The stage was well over our heads, so I went back to out spot to have a better view and to hear the mix coming out of the speakers.

As a side note, there was a strage group of people near us at the show. They had a leader who they thought was a wizard and he was dispensing Electric Kool Aid. At one time they were passing around a joint that was as big as a cigar and was rolled in the Sunday funnny papers. About 20 years later, I was waiting to take a picture of Johnny when he came off his bus before a show (And I don't know where the pictures are, really.) when this hippie with hair down to his ass says to me, "Man, I been seeing Johnny for 20 years." I say, "Me too." We talk for a while and figure out that we were both in Atlanta. Then we figure that we were both on the left hand side of the stage, about 50 feet out. And he says, "Well man, you might remember me, I was the dude that rolled the joint out of the Sunday funnies man. I put three lids of Columbian in that thing dude." I asked him about the wizard, but he just wanted to talk about his joint.

Anyways, as the night goes on, the Allman Brothers are playing and they are hot. They had the harp player who is on the Fillmore East album with them and are wailing. Then, they mention a guest is coming out. Just as they break into Mountain Jam, out pops Johnny and is he wired or what. I can not really describe to you how he picked that show up. (This jam of Johnny Winter and the Allman Brothers is available on the recording: The Allman Brothers Band - Atlanta International Pop Festival) In my humble opinion, he flat blew Dickie and Duane away. I mean, he can play the slide or without and is dueling with them both. Now, I guess I exaggerate a bit when I say he blew them away, cause this was in their prime and as you might imagine, Duane and Dickie didn't back down at all. But it just seemed like the whole place, including about 500,000 of us, just kept getting higher and higher and Johnny was the energy driving it all.

Aug 1970: participates in an anti-war 12-hour festival at New York's Shea stadium, alongside Paul Simon, Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf and many others .

Thursday, 23,24,25 July 1970 - Boston Tea Party

Johnny Winter and the J. Geils Band

Sunday, 2 August 1970 - Aix-de-Provence Paris, France

6 August 1970 - Shea Stadium Festival for Peace concert

Johnny Winter, Paul Simon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin as well as many others

Friday, 14 August 1970 - Shrine Auditorium, Rochester, N.Y.

Comment: The BEST performance - by Johnny Winter & Rick Derringer guitar solos - of the "And era" . Superb!

Setlist:
1. Guess I'll go away
2. Good morning little school girl
3. Prodigal son
4. It's my own fault [simply the best version I've ever heard, with astonishing guitar solos]
5. Highway 61 revisited
6. Rollin' & Tumblin'
7. Johnny B. Goode [with licks of "san-ho-zay" on the guitar solo!]
8. Mean town blues [with full verses of "walking blues"]

Saturday, 15 August 1970 - Eastown Theater, Detroit Michigan.

Johnny Winter/Alice Cooper/Tin House.

Sunday, 16 August 1970 - Free Concert, Ann Arbor Michigan.

Johnny Winter / Magpie / Tin House.

Super Jam with Luther Allison

Sunday, 23 August 1970: John O'Donnell Stadium, Davenport Iowa

Supporting act: Poco

Setlist:
1. Guess I'll go away
2. Goodmorning Little Schoolgirl
3. Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo
4. It's My Own Fault
5. Highway 61 Revisited
6. Rollin' and Tumblin'
7. Rock & Roll Medley
8. Mean Town Blues
9. Drom Solo

Wednesday, 2 September 1970 - Santa Monica Civic

Johnny Winter with special guest: Savoy Brown

Thursday, 3 September - 6 September 1970: Fillmore West

Johnny Winter as well as: Boz Scaggs and Freddie King

Friday, 25 September 1970 - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago.

A recording of this concert is available on the bootleg: "White Lightning".

Setlist;
1. Guess I'll go away
2. Good Morning Little School Girl
3. Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo
4. It's My Own Fault
5. Highway 61
6. Johnny B.Goode
7. Medley: Mean town Blues-Walking Blues

Saturday, 26 September 1970: Johnny Winter And

In September 1970 the album "Johnny Winter And" with Rick Derringer and the McCoys reaches #154 in the Billboard charts

Monday, 28 September 1970 - Agora Ballroom Cleveland

Formation of "Johnny Winter And", with Rick Derringer

Thursday, 1 October 1970: Jimi Hendrix Wake

On Thursday, 1 October 1970 Johnny Winter jams with Jimi Hendrix band-members (John Hammond, Buddy Miles, Noel Redding and Jimi's brother Leon Hendrix) for Jimi's Wake.

Johnny Winter at Jimi Hendrix Wake

 

Friday 2-3 Oct 1970 Fillmore East (And)

This concert of "Johnny Winter And" at the Fillmore East is now also available on CD.

Johnny Winter and Tin House at the Fillmore East, New York

 

Oct 1970: "Johnny Winter And" peaks at US #154.

Friday, 27 November 1970 - Capitol Theatre, Portchester, N.Y.

Setlist
1. Guess I'll go away
2. Rock'n'roll hoochie koo
3. Five long years
4. Jumpin' jack flash
5. Great balls of fire
6. Guitar jam [with chords of "dixie"]
7. Long tall sally
8. Whole lotta shakin' going' on
9. Bobby Caldwell boogie [invented title; it's just a hard rock riff as intro & closing, sandwiching a 15 minutes drum solo]
10. Mean town blues
11. Johnny b. goode

Nov 1970: "Johnny Winter And" reaches UK #29.

Friday, 18 December 1970: State Fair Music hall, Dallas

Special Guest: Wildfire