![]() This is where he met many of the musicians he would eventually enlist to play in the band “White Trash.” But he always came back to bands with Johnny. During this time, Edgar also drifted in and out of various other bands playing with (and arranging for) real horn sections, which he absolutely loved. I’m still uncontrollable to this day!”Īs the music scene evolved, and bands started to emerge with horn sections, Johnny warmed to the bluesy R&B sound, and Edgar was once again back in the band playing sax and organ. I was getting so much into Jazz (from Ray Charles to Cannonball Adderley, Coltrane, and Miles) he knew I’d be uncontrollable, and he was right. We’d already had two other sax players in the band. Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, all sax solos. As Edgar recalled “Man, the truth was-despite the Jazz thing-sax was the most Rock ‘n’ Roll instrument around, next to guitar. The one time that their musical pathways diverged temporarily was when Edgar began to play the alto saxophone (an instrument their dad had played in swing bands as a youth) to become something of a jazzman. Johnny Loved the spotlight, and Edgar was quite content to ignore it, though he does admit to eventually (years later) coming around to liking it himself.Īlthough they were different kinds of people in every way, the bond between Edgar and his big brother never faltered. Now a lot has been said about sibling rivalry between brothers in bands, but this was never an issue with the Winters. This was a perfect arrangement for them both. Then Edgar would figure out what all the other instruments were doing, learn the parts, and teach the other kids what to play. Johnny would pick the songs, learn the words and all the guitar parts. ![]() Not much later, Edgar picked up the ukulele and they were soon playing together like kid Everly Brothers.Īs Johnny’s ambition to be a guitar hero began to take hold, they decided to form a band with their friends around the neighborhood-the only drawback being, none of them knew how to play. ![]() They both loved it, and so their musical adventures began. Johnny had just started playing the ukulele at age 7 (shown the chords by their father) and Edgar sang harmony, being too young for an instrument yet (at only age 4). Their first musical appearance together was on a local radio kids hour called “The Uncle Willie Show”. He loved playing from the start and this grew into composing, learning about every instrument he could, arranging, performing, and later recording. His singular dream was unwavering: to become a star.Įdgar’s passion was never about fame or stardom, but purely for music. Johnny’s soul was entirely in the sway of one genre of music and one instrument: the blues and the electric guitar. In truth, they were fundamentally different.Įven their relationship to music, and their goals, were completely divergent. Given that they looked almost like twins, and were bonded by their albinism and fiercely united in a passionate musical mission, it was easy to assume they were identical in every way. ![]() Of course, the image alone would be meaningless without their staggering talent and drive. Long before Bowie took on the otherworldly guise of Ziggy Stardust, like an exotic alien among us, Johnny and Edgar looked that way naturally. They each had bright white hair, and when rock & roll inspired long hair, in addition to hip shades, their shared condition only intensified their distinct cool. Hailing from historic Beaumont, Texas, Johnny (born February 23, 1944) and Edgar (December 28, 1946) both were born with albinism. It’s these multitudes which have defined him, and distinguished him all along from his legendary big brother, the late great Johnny Winter. ![]() As his fans know well, he’s a joyful genius, a musical wizard capable of solving any problem, and for whom limitations don’t exist, only possibilities.Ī self-taught virtuoso on almost all instruments known to man, winter has long been fearless in his fusion of genres and use of brand-new technology such as the synthesizer. Sure, it’s something which has been said about others, but for Edgar Winter it’s literally true: His musical multitudes alone are staggering, and they are not all of who he is. ![]()
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