Johnny Winter Early Tracks to be Released by Omnivore Recordings in Time for Holidays

Johnny Winter - Photo by Chascar

Release – Omnivore Recordings has announced The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings), a set of early recordings from the famous blues rocker and Blues Hall of Fame inductee.

It’s the first-ever collection with all of the tracks, 33 total, from compilation albums The Johnny Winter Story (1969), About Blues (1969), and Early Times (1970). Available on two CDs and Digital with original 1969 liner notes by Pete Welding, The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings) will be released on December 15.

Read our interview with Johnny Winter here.

Johnny Winter in 2008 – Photo by Simone Berna

Before signing with Columbia Records in 1969, and becoming one of preeminent blues guitar guitarists in the world, Johnny Winter recorded a number of singles and tracks with producers Ken Ritter and Roy C. Ames. From that material, The Johnny Winter Story appeared on GRT Records in 1969, followed that same year by About Blues on the Janus Records label. The following year saw Janus release another collection: Early Times. They became the definitive collections of the future legend’s early work.

Now, for the first time, the material from those compilations is available in one place. Newly remastered by Grammy-winning engineer, Michael Graves, The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings) also features the original 1969 liner notes from producer, Testament Records founder/owner, and blues historian Pete Welding.

Before being on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World, before becoming the first non-African-American performer inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, before winning multiple Grammys (for both his own records and his production work on three Muddy Waters classics including Hard Again and I’m Ready), before being named as one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time, it had to start somewhere. It starts with The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings).

Watch the trailer here.

Pre-order here.

The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings) Tracklist:
DISC ONE
1. Ease My Heart
2. That’s What Love Does
3. Crying In My Heart
4. The Guy You Left Behind
5. Shed So Many Tears
6. Creepy
7. Gangster Of Love
8. Road Runner
9. Leave My Woman (Wife) Alone
10. I Can’t Believe You Want To Leave
11. Broke And Lonely
12. Oh My Darling
13. By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
14. Five After Four A.M.
15. Parchman Farm
16. Livin’ In The Blues
17. Leavin’ Blues
18. Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Two, Twenty

DISC TWO
1. Bad News
2. Kind Hearted Woman
3. Out Of Sight
4. Low Down Gal Of Mine
5. Going Down Slow
6. Avocado Green
7. Stay By My Side
8. I Had To Cry
9. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
10. Harlem Nocturne (Instrumental)
11. Easy Lovin’ Girl
12. Spiders Of The Mind
13. My World Turns Around Her
14. Take A Chance On My Love (Instrumental)
15. Please Come Home For Christmas