Johnny Winter dead at 70

John Dawson Winter

February 23, 1943-July 16, 2014

Legendary blues guitarist Johnny Winter died yesterday in Zurich, Germany. He was 70 years old. The guitarist was found dead in his hotel room, as he had been on tour. It was already known before he passed that Winter was in poor health. 

Winter rose to fame in the late 1960's as a talented guitarist. Winter struck out for his bluesy style of playing and his long white hair, as he (as well as his brother Edgar) was born with albinism. He was discovered by session musician Mike Bloomfield, which then led to Winter getting signed to Columbia Records. In August 1969, Winter was one of the many musicians who played at the original Woodstock Music Festival. Throughout his career, Winter released some 20 studio albums. In terms of commercial success, Winter did originally record "Rock N Roll, Hoochie Coo," which was later made a hit by Rick Derringer. In the late 1970's, Winter was able to produce a series of comeback albums for Muddy Waters. Before his death, Winter had already planned for a new album for release. That album, Step Back, will be released posthumously on September 2. 

It's very sad to hear of Johnny Winter's passing. I can't say I was a fan of his work but I can say he was a very talent musician. It's sad to know that a person like him is no long with us. 

Rest in peace, Johnny.