Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Johnny Winter signs with Megaforce

Iconic blues man Johnny Winter is having a banner year, marked by a new deal with Megaforce Records, several new Winter-related releases, a memorable performance at Eric Clapton’s recent Crossroads Festival, a berth on the upcoming Rhythm and Blues Cruise in October, a continuous national and international tour, and the addition of a permanent guitarist to his band.
Winter’s Megaforce Records debut is expected next year and will mark his first studio effort since his Grammy-nominated I’m a Bluesman, for Virgin in 2004. Details on the project will be announced later this year. Megaforce, of course, is the label home to Metallica’s first Album, and releases by artists as diverse as Anthrax, Danzig, The Black Crowes and Asleep at The Wheel.

In June, Winter joined the all-star line-up at Toyota Park in Chicago for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival, a day-long musical celebration featuring a cross-section of legendary guitarists such as BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert Lee, and Jeff Beck among them, as well as the next generation of six-string visionaries, headed by Robert Randolph and John Mayer.

Winter’s appearance at Crossroads came on the heels of the release of Raisin’ Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter, the first Winter biography to fully document the blues man’s extraordinary life from his early childhood growing up an albino in Beaumont, Texas to his early years in music, his rise to stardom, plunge into heroin and triumphant road back to health and stellar form.

Earlier this year, Winter released the 6th Volume of his Live Bootleg Series, featuring super rare tracks and photos hand-picked by the axe man from his personal archives. He pays homage here to some of his favorite artists including Ray Charles, Freddie King, Texas blues man Frankie Lee Sims, and B.B. King. The collection also includes two of Winter’s classic originals: the slide guitar-infused “White Line Blues” and the jump blues rocker “Johnny Guitar.”

In October Johnny, and Edgar Winter headline on the high seas as featured artists on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise October 17-24, on The Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam. The ship sails from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. Other notables on board include Los Lobos, Marcia Ball, The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Kim Wilson and His Blues All-Stars, Coco Montoya, David Honeyboy Edwards and more.

This month, MVD Entertainment releases the next in its series of DVDs, Johnny Winter: Live Through The 80s, featuring 18 blazing performances captured in venues large and small and in locales from New Hampshire to Italy and Sweden. Among the songs included on Live Through The '80s are such fan favorites as "Sweet Papa John," "Mojo Boogie," Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," the classic Sonny Boy Williamson song "Unseen Eye," and Winter's trademark take on Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." In between performances is rare footage of Winter backstage, and on his tour bus, talking about his music and love of the blues.

Finally as announced in this month’s Guitar World Magazine, Winter adds second guitarist Paul Nelson (left, on stage with Winter) as a permanent, full-time member of his live band. Nelson, who recorded on and wrote several of the songs on Winter’s I’m A Bluesman follows in the elite electric footsteps of Floyd Radford and Rick Derringer. In addition to trading licks on stage with Johnny, Nelson is featured along with an all-star line-up, on the forthcoming Joe Louis Walker CD, Blues Conspiracy: Live on The Legendary Blues Cruise, due September 28.
Winter, a blues/rock legend and truly a man for all seasons, continues to tour throughout North and South America and Europe. Extensive dates are slated through 2011.

A complete list of tour dates can be found at www.pollstar.com

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