Weekend Engagement: A handful of great #ttts for the youngs from us the Eightyish.
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And on this occasion, no one better than the Eightyish that I have chosen this time to take you by the hand through this musical journey and educational experience. One of my personal heroes and one of my all-time favorite luminaries in the world of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. One octogenarian with enough trajectory, experiences and history as to be the one I've chosen and responsible for transmitting to you the profound & useful message that I am trying to convey to you in this post today. From places like:
«Fillmore East 1970»
«Woodstock 1969»
«And Small Clubs»
John Dawson Winter III better known as Johnny Winter is born in Beaumont, Texas on Febrary 23rd 1944. His brother Edgar is born three years later. From 1953 – 1959 Johnny begins playing clarinet at age five, eventually switches to ukelele and then guitar a few years later. Performing with his younger brother Edgar as a duo in an Everly Brothers vein. In these early days the Winters win a talent contest and appear on local television shows.
On 1959, The Winter brothers travel to New York to audition for Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour. Soon thereafter, they receive their first taste of rock ‘n’ roll. The Winter brothers gain regional notoriety with the singles “School Day Blues” and “You Know I Love You” released on Houston-based Dart Records. During this time Johnny begins frequenting all black blues clubs and over the years he sits in with such heroes as Muddy Waters, BB King, and Bobby Bland. And in 1962 at age 14, Johnny forms his first band, Johnny and the Jammers, with Edgar on piano.
And there he was. A tall young albino boy who lived quite an amazing life and overcame many challenges in order to sustain a long career and earn himself a spot in any serious conversation about the greatest blues-rock guitarists in history. And who often was heard saying:
"I started playing ukulele first for 2 years from age 9 to 11 and got my first guitar and got inspired by blues I heard on the radio that turned me on and I started learning myself. I always wanted to play music and have it be my career and knew this by the age of 12. Then, I got old enough as to go to night clubs to hear much more of that amazing music at the age of 15"
"At the time, everybody was tellin' me that I had to do something different. And I kind of agreed that I did need to vary it a little bit. I went for the more swampy blues playing slide guitar, but still love some rock 'n' roll too. I never practice, I just play. And I play every show like it's my last. Because someday it will be."
And well, I suppose many here probably know that I am also an old man, another Eightyish, who loves and prefers this type of music far above all others. The bluesier, swampier and full of slide guitars, the better. Although I also suspect that many here must know that my tastes in music are quite eclectic. Nonetheless, I think it is widely known and many over here might say that it is Blues, Funk and Rock 'n' Roll the musical genres most abundant in the posts I share.
And that's exactly what I hope and aspire that you will enjoy from now on in the content of this weekend article. Educational content of which I maintain a very high expectation and I remain hopeful that after fully consuming the four musical themes that follow next. None of you will feel too exhausted and overwhelmed as to not play and consume also the last two videos in their entirety. Which are the ones that in fact contain the important message that I wanted to convey to you today.
"From a man who used the same piece of plumbing pipe as a slide for his entire career"
Because it is precisely these last two videos next the ones that motivated me to develop this laborious musical journey in this post. Just so you can perceive, appreciate and understand the fascinating and amazing sense of humor that we Eightyish have and the reason for the generation gap that supposedly separates us.
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