Virgin Records 7087 6 18499 2 9 V
Johnny Winter is one badass bluesman. Not that anyone was disputing it, but as his latest album, I’m A Blues Man, suggests, he just wanted to not-so-gently remind everyone. For over 30 years he has been an integral part of the blues-rock world, and rightfully so, quite frankly. He shreds. His slide guitar is up there with the best of them, there’s no doubt about that. The man is so steeped in the blues that in 1962, at age 17, he was reluctantly invited onstage by B.B. King, played B.B.‘s guitar, and got a standing ovation. After Johnny produced and played guitar on four of Muddy Waters’ albums in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Waters was known to refer to him as his "adopted son" in interviews.
Lyrics like "I smell smoke, you must be burnin' me behind my back," from the tune "I Smell Smoke," work perfectly in a blues tune, but simply just wouldn't work anywhere else. That's part of what makes the blues the blues.
