This article first appeared in Issue 7 of The Blues, June See more Classic Rock features. Reeling And Rocking Tramp Be Careful With A Fool The lightning-quick guitarist fulfilled that wish magnificently, decade after decade. A guitar hero without equal. Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players in rock and the clear link between British blues-rock and American Southern rock.

Something of a musical child prodigy, he grew up in Beaumont, Texas, on a diet of blues and rock 'n' roll. As a teen, nearly every week-end he would hitch-hike to Louisiana to play in small night clubs.

Add to Cart. Secure transaction. Your transaction is secure. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Learn more. Ships from Amazon. Ships from. Sold by. Return policy: Returnable within 30 days of receipt In most cases, items shipped from Amazon. Read full return policy. Add gift options. Other Sellers on Amazon. Sold by: Green Orbit. Sold by: Dearborn-Music. Sold by: DarksideRecordsPK. Winter also plays on Ringo Starr's new album, What's My Name , a guest appearance that he feels went hand-in-hand with this year's commemoration of Woodstock's 50th anniversary.

I think the Beatles did that, and Ringo carries it on in admirable fashion. Winter continued to perform live, including at festivals throughout North America and Europe. Winter was professionally active until the time of his death near Zurich , Switzerland , on July 16, Writing in Rolling Stone magazine, after Winter's death, David Marchese said, "Winter was one of the first blues rock guitar virtuosos, releasing a string of popular and fiery albums in the late Sixties and early Seventies, becoming an arena-level concert draw in the process" In , Winter was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World.

In , he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame , the first non-African-American performer to be inducted into the Hall. Winter played a variety of guitars during his career, [28] but he is probably best known for his use of Gibson Firebirds. Winter explained:. I still have all six of them They all sound different, but that one sounds the best.

The neck is nice and thin It's a great guitar. The Firebird V was a departure from Gibson's traditional configuration, with mini-humbucker pickups in place of the company's standard sized PAF humbucker or P single-coil pickup models.

The Firebird is the best of all worlds. It feels like a Gibson, but it sounds closer to a Fender than most other Gibsons. I was never a big fan of humbucking pickups, but the mini humbuckers on the Firebird have more bite and treble. In , luthier Mark Erlewine approached Winter with his Lazer electric guitar. With its unusual design for the time without a headstock and having a small body, Winter responded immediately: "the first day I plugged it in, it sounded so good that I wanted to use it for a gig that night.

Lazer is a bit easier to play than the Firebird. Pin it Author Bobby Black. He is the author of the popular monthly column Almost Infamous and the creator of the Miss High Times contest.