The latest: March has been a great month for Johnny, with a lot of news to share. First and foremost, the Illustrated Man — for the second straight year — took part in the Allman Brothers Band’s annual spring residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Johnny sat in during its March 10 performance, ripping through “Red House” and “You Don’t Love Me” before concluding with his slide guitar tour-de-force, “Highway 61 Revisited.” Said Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks: “Johnny Winter doesn’t know the word ’subtlety.’ But it works, it works. It’s just the blues wide open.”
Johnny thanks the Allman Brothers for again making him a part of the band’s annual Beacon stand.
Flying high: Johnny’s March 6 gig at the Fillmore in New York City wasn’t just special because he shared the bill with brother Edgar Winter. Johnny also was presented with a 2009 Doobie Award for Lifetime Achievement in music from the venerable HIGH TIMES magazine. Be sure to check out this unforgettable video, which shows Johnny receiving his award from HIGH TIMES associate publisher Rick Cusick and senior editor Bobby Black. (And thanks, HIGH TIMES!)
Woodstock, revisited: On June 9, Warner Bros. will release a 40th anniversary edition of Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace Music. And for the first time ever, Johnny (“Mean Town Blues”) appears in the film. Other performers appearing for the first time include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Butterfield, the Grateful Dead and Mountain. Read more about the four-hour director’s cut right here.
Johnny in the Keystone State: Johnny returns to the road on Friday (3/20) with a gig at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, followed by a show Saturday (3/21) at the Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh. For a complete list of Johnny’s tour dates, click here.
Johnny speaks! Living Legends Music conducted a video interview with Johnny late last year. As many of you know, JW isn’t known for being chatty. Nonetheless, this interview has some good moments. To view all five clips, click here. And while you’re at it, be sure to join the Johnny Winter forum on LiveBluesWorld.com.
Yours to be had: Don’t forget that all four volumes of Johnny’s acclaimed Live Bootleg Series are available from Friday Music. Volume 4 was released last month and — just like its predecessors — has cracked the Billboard Blues Chart. And Johnny’s remarkable Live Through the ’70s DVD remains available from MVD.
Around the Web: Click here to read an excellent post on Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” — the version he cut with Johnny on 1977’s Hard Again album… Johnny is a big fan of Derek Trucks, who is interviewed extensively by Alan Bryson of All About Jazz… Johnny was interviewed for this article in advance of his show in Rochester, New York, earlier this month… And one artist’s interpretation of Johnny can be viewed here.
