Johnny Winter's first album of raw and ragged Texas blues was finally released just weeks before his major label debut. Johnny and his younger brother Edgar were exposed to music at a very young age and encouraged with instruments. Winter remembers: “That would have been my Mother, who played piano at Church and the social gatherings around our town; she had a special touch that I’ve never heard since and when I was very young I acquired a clarinet that I struggled to get a tune out of; and then received a ukulele for my 9th birthday and when I was 12 I got a guitar and that changed my life. I would buy a new record every weekend from the 5 and Dime and spend hours trying to copy the players on the discs...It wasn’t long before I got my first electric guitar and a tiny speaker and began forming bands at school. We didn’t get to see many live acts but I do remember seeing Ray Charles and later Fats Domino who were both great; but the most memorable night was when BB King came to a club called the Raven when I was 17. Arrogantly I kept asking if I could join him on stage for a jam; eventually he asked if I had a Union card; when I produced one from my pocket he graciously allowed me on stage. I only played one number but I got a standing ovation!...It still took a few years of playing every club around but we finally got a recording contract and released 'The Progressive Blues Experiment' in 67 and then signed for Columbia and recorded the 'Johnny Winter' album in early 1969."
Winter was discovered by Bill Josey Sr., co-founder of Austin-based Sonobeat Records, while playing at the Vulcan Gas Company on Congress Avenue. It was at the Vulcan that they decided to record 'The Progressive Blues Experiment' during the day when there was no audience. They recorded live with the trio of Johnny Winter on guitars (acoustic, electric and slide), harmonica, mandolin, and vocals; Uncle John Turner on drums and percussion; and Tommy Shannon on bass guitar. Two acoustic tracks were recorded on a brand new four track at the Josey residence on Western Hills Drive in Northwest Austin with Johnny solo on National steel standard guitar, mandolin, mouth harp, and vocals. Winter took an advance pressing of the album with him on a UK tour where he met Blue Horizon Records owners Mike and Richard Vernon who wanted to distribute the album outside of the US; but, before that could happen, Winter signed a lucrative deal with Columbia Records. While he was recording a new album for Columbia in Nashville, Sonobeat sold rights to 'The Progressive Blues Experiment' to Liberty Records who released it on its Imperial label at the end of March 1969. The album made it to number forty on the US album chart.
http://www.johnnywinter.net/
'The Progressive Blues Experiment'
full album:
1. Rollin' And Tumblin' (McKinley Morganfield)
2. Tribute To Muddy (Johnny Winter)
3. I Got Love If You Want It (J. Moore)
4. Bad Luck And Trouble (Johnny Winter)
5. Help Me (R. Bass/S. Williamson )
6. Mean Town Blues (Johnny Winter)
7. Broke Down Engine (Arr. & Adapted by Johnny Winter)
8. Black Cat Bone (Johnny Winter)
9. It's My Own Fault (King /Taub)
10. Forty-Four (C. Burnett)
bonus tracks:
11. Mean Town Blues (single version)
12. Black Cat Bone (single version)
at Woodstock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6kPQLLLYAc
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