Omnivore Recordings has announced The Johnny Winter Story (The GRT/Janus Recordings), a set of early recordings from the high-octane singer-songwriter/guitarist. 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.
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).
