Johnny Winter (1944-2014)

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing Johnny Winter several times over the past couple of years, most recently in February. So it was a shock when I learned yesterday that he had died in Switzerland during his European tour. Johnny had been frail for some time, but that didn't stop him from putting on a high-voltage show.

So I rolled up my sleeves and wrote an appreciation for The Wall Street Journal, which is up online now (go here) and will appear in Tuesday's Leisure & Arts page. I also spoke with Aerosmith's Joe Perry. [Photo above of Johnny Winter and Joe Perry by guitarist Paul Nelson]

Johnny, in person, sounded very much like his guitar—down to earth, passionate about the blues, candid and direct. You can read my February WSJ interview here.

Rather than tell you about Johnny, I thought I'd show you...

Here's Johnny in 1970...

Here's Johnny with Dr. John in 1984. Dig Mac's New Orleans piano...

Used with permission by Marc Myers