JOHNNY WINTER
VINYL-ONLY
IT'S MY LIFE, BABY -- THE BEST OF THE ALLIGATOR RECORDS
YEARS,
TO BE RELEASED
ON RECORD STORE DAY
 |
Johnny Winter (February 23, 1944-July 16, 2014) was an
American music legend. Beginning with his first appearance on the pages of
Rolling Stone in 1968, Winter epitomized the fiery and flamboyant
blues-rock guitar hero. On Saturday, April
18, 2015, Record Store Day, Alligator Records will release
the vinyl-only
album It’s My Life, Baby – The Best Of The Alligator Records
Years. It collects eight classic tracks from Winter's three
heralded Alligator albums, featuring one brilliant, career-defining performance
after another. The 180g pressing will also include a download card for the
entire record. It will be initially available only at participating Record Store
Day locations.
Upon joining
the Alligator family in 1984, Winter wanted to record nothing but authentic,
deep blues. When he released Guitar Slinger, his
Alligator debut, it was widely hailed as his best (and bluesiest) album ever; it
charted in Billboard and earned a Grammy nomination. The next year,
Winter followed up with Serious Business. The
blistering album won him his second Grammy nomination with Alligator.
3rd Degree, his final Alligator release,
came out in 1986. The album featured several special guests and an array of
blues styles. Original Johnny Winter Trio players Tommy Shannon and Uncle John
Turner, as well as Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack, made guest
appearances.
While with
Alligator, Johnny was living his artistic dream. Surprisingly, his Alligator
blues albums earned their way onto rock radio, and a video for the song
Don't Take Advantage of Me played on the fledgling MTV network for over
six months. But no matter how much commercial success Johnny's Alligator albums
received, they never compromised his commitment to his
roots.
After his three
Alligator releases, Johnny’s management convinced him that he needed to return
to more commercial blues-rock and the world of major labels. Winter never
stopped touring and recording, although he was facing growing health problems.
He released a number of critically acclaimed live and studio albums while
remaining as in-demand as ever. He died on July 16, 2014, while on tour in
Switzerland. Shortly after his death, his final studio album, Step
Back, was released.While he
continued to bring joy to fans around the world with his live shows and his
recordings, Johnny Winter never again recorded with the inspiration of both
being signed to a blues label and the accompaniment of real Chicago blues
musicians. It’s My Life, Baby – The Best Of The Alligator Records
Years will delight old and new fans, and remind them of Johnny’s
intense love of the blues tradition and his desire to bring the deepest and most
authentic blues to the widest possible audience.
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