Live Bootleg Series, Vol. 2

Performer: Johnny Winter
Producer: Johnny Winter
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Johnny Winter (vocals, guitar); Jon Paris (harmonica). Photographers: Carl Dunn; Susan Winter. This second volume in Johnny Winter's self-produced Live Bootleg Series is in many ways superior to the first. The reason is simple: Winter relies far more on his electrifying -- sometimes just unbelievable -- guitar-slinging interpretation of the blues as it meets hard rock more than re-interpreting rock tunes for the blues. There are only six tunes here, only one of them under six minutes and the rest ranging from seven to 14 and change. There are absolutely amazing readings of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm," Robert Johnson's "Crossroads," and Jimi Hendrix's "Red House." The last one is key, because here is one master playing the work of another without being overly reverential. Winter's own "Black Cat Bone" opens the set, and it stands tall with all the other canonical classics here. Like its predecessor, this volume has some small sound issues, but none to keep the listener from hearing the full force of this guitar attack. Just get this and ask questions later. ~ Thom Jurek

Texan blues guitarist Johnny Winter, surely the first albino blues guitar hero, was already a convincing artist in the '60s when still in his teens. At the dawn of the '70s, he embraced the sound of the time, adopting a louder, more frenetic blues-rock style. Backed by the McCoys, including guitarist Rick Derringer, he released a series of classic blues-rock albums, while his keyboard-playing brother Edgar, with whom Johnny played on and off over the years, achieved stardom in his own right. At the end of the '70s, Winter produced Muddy Waters, helping him make a triumphant comeback. In the ensuing decades, Winter maintained a prolific schedule of touring and recording.

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