But his addiction problems with heroin during that decade and later battles with alcohol and prescription medication also drew attention. Crowds were dazzled by the speed – and volume – of his guitar playing, which had its roots in urban blues but incorporated elements of rock ‘n’roll. He was one of the most popular live acts of the early 1970s, when his signature fast blues guitar solos attracted a wide following. This helped secure a substantial recording contract from Columbia Records in 1969 that led to an appearance at the Woodstock Festival and gave him a wide following among college students and young blues fans. His career received a big boost early on when Rolling Stone singled him out as one of the best blues guitarists on the Texas scene. It’s the only thing I’ve ever really been great at,” he said. Fifteen was a big year for me,” Winter recalled with a laugh in a documentary released this year, “Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty.” Started drinking and smoking when I was 15. “Made my first record when I was 15, started playing clubs when I was 15. He was the older brother of Edgar Winter, who like him was an albino, and rose to musical fame with the Edgar Winter Group. He had recently announced that he would follow up his 2011 album “Roots” with a new studio album, “Step Back,” in September featuring collaborators such as Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, Joe Perry, Dr. His last performance was on Saturday at the Lovely Days Festival in Wiesen, Austria. Winter had been on an extensive tour this year to celebrate his 70th birthday. “The real legacy of Johnny Winter is that he brought the blues to an audience in tie-dye that might otherwise have neglected the entire genre – and his timely work producing Muddy Waters only deepened that contribution,” said Schruers, author of an upcoming biography of Billy Joel. Music writer Fred Schruers said Winter played a major role in introducing the blues to a new audience. Rolling Stone magazine named Winter one of the top 100 guitarists of all time. He idolized Waters – and got a chance to produce some of the blues legend’s more popular albums. Winter was a leading light among the white blues guitar players, including Eric Clapton and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, who followed in the footsteps of the earlier Chicago blues masters. She said investigators are mainly looking at “medical causes” and there is no indication that anyone else was involved. The cause of death was unclear and authorities have ordered an autopsy, said Zurich police spokeswoman Cornelia Schuoler. The statement said his wife, family and bandmates were all saddened by the loss of one of the world’s finest guitarists. Winter’s representative, Carla Parisi, confirmed Thursday that he died in a hotel room just outside Zurich a day earlier at age 70. “His tone was a little more modern, more electric, but I could see the influences. “He did not overplay, like a lot of white blues guitarists,” she said of Winter, who collaborated with the likes of Waters, John Lee Hooker and Jimi Hendrix. Winters carved out a wide niche – and became an icon himself – starting in the late 1960s and 1970s with a sound that blues and country singer Tracy Nelson, prominent during the same era with her band Mother Earth, described as “Texas second generation.” His contrasting appearance and devotion to the blues pioneers of the 20th century turbo-charged a career in which he emulated and, ultimately, championed, his childhood hero Muddy Waters and other icons. GENEVA – Texas blues legend Johnny Winter emblazoned himself into the world’s consciousness with his tattooed arms churning out lightning-fast guitar riffs and his striking long white hair flowing from under his cowboy hat. Associated Press Photo/The Repository, Bob Rossiter
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