Personnel: Johnny Winter (vocals, guitar); Rick Derringer (vocals, guitar); Randy Hobbs (vocals, bass); Randy Z (drums).
Recorded in New York, New York on June 9, 1970. Originally released on Columbia (C 30221).
Digitally remastered by Steve Hoffman.
This 1970 reissue by blues and rock guitarist Johnny Winter features Rick Derringer and includes the track "Guess I'll Go Away" and the hit "Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo."
After two late-'60s albums on Columbia, Johnny Winter hit his stride in 1970 working with Rick Derringer and the McCoys, now recruited as his sidemen and collaborators (and proving with just about every note here how far they'd gotten past "Hang on Sloopy"). In place of the bluesy focus on his first two albums, Winter extended himself into more of a rock-oriented mode here, in both his singing and his selection of material. This was hard rock with a blues edge, and had a certain commercial smoothness lacking in his earlier work. Derringer's presence on guitar and as a songwriter saw to it that Winter's blues virtuosity was balanced by perfectly placed guitar hooks, and the two guitarists complemented each other perfectly throughout as well. There wasn't a weak moment anywhere on the record, and if Johnny Winter And wasn't a huge commercial success, it was mostly because of the huge amount of competition at the time from other, equally inspired players, that kept numbers like the Winter originals "Prodigal Son" and "Guess I'll Go Away" as well as Derringer co-authored pieces such as "Look Up" from having the impact they should have had on FM radio. ~ Bruce Eder
Although Johnny Winter is primarily thought of as a Texas bluesman, 1970's JOHNNY WINTER AND is more of a blues-influenced rock & roll album. Backed by a tight and rocking band featuring ex-McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer--Winter's original backing band at this time were the "Hang On Sloopy" boys in their entirety, but the drummer and keyboardist were replaced just before the sessions started--the guitarist blasts through 11 songs with fire and verve.
The songs' relative brevity means that there's none of the bloated showboating that bogs down most guitar-boogie albums of this era; these tight arrangements feature complementary playing by all band members instead of endless soloing. Winter and Derringer in particular get into some guitar duels that are among the best of their time, especially on the first recording of Derringer's future solo hit "Rock and Roll Hootchie-Koo." Solid stuff. minimize