Edgar Winter On His New Album “Brother Johnny,” Touring With Ringo Starr, Working With David Lee Roth, “Tobacco Road” & More
Earlier this month, Quarto Valley Records released Brother Johnny, a tribute to the legendary blues guitarist created by his brother Edgar Winter. A powerful sonic journey, traveling the course of Johnny Winter’s musical life, joining Edgar on the inclusive project is an impressive array of renowned musicians who knew and/or were inspired by Johnny. This includes Joe Bonamassa, Doyle Bramhall II, John McFee, Robben Ford, Billy Gibbons, David Grissom, Taylor Hawkins, Warren Haynes, Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo, Doug Rappoport, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ringo Starr, Derek Trucks, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Walsh, Phil X and Gregg Bissonette. The guitar-driven album featuring 17 tracks, as curated by Edgar with producer Ross Hogarth (Van Halen, R.E.M., Keb’ Mo’).
Brother Johnny hitting the #1 spot on the Blues Album chart of Billboard is far from the only noteworthy commercial success experienced by Edgar Winter, as 1970’s Entrance — which came out years before hits like “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride” — hit stores over 50 years ago. Hits and major soundtrack placements would consistently follow in the decades to come; Eminem’s production of “Runnin’ (Dying To Live),” which featured a samples of Winter’s “Dying To Live,” would ultimately be one of Tupac Shakur’s highest-charting songs. All the while, Winter has remained an in-demand touring and session musician, with credits that include David Lee Roth, Meat Loaf, Michael McDonald and Todd Rundgren.
On April 27, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with Edgar Winter via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond Brother Johnny, we talked about his histories with Ringo Starr and David Lee Roth, working with Taylor Hawkins, how his on-stage persona compares to his off-stage persona, how he and Johnny were very different from one another, how he wound up playing so many instruments, performing at Woodstock, and plenty more. More on Winter can be found online by clicking here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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