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FREE RAISIN CAIN: THE WILD AND RAUCOUS STORY OF PDF

Mary Lou Sullivan,Johnny Winter | 366 pages | 08 May 2010 | Hal Leonard Corporation | 9780879309732 | English | Milwaukee, United States Raisin’ Cain with Johnny Winter - UConn Today

January 30, I remember the first time I heard Johnny Winter: I was a small boy, probably 7 or 8 years old, and my dad was playing some of his records, one of which was Johnny Winter's "Captured Live! I couldn't believe the way he played guitar and sang, and I was even more shocked when I saw the cover and discovered not only was he white but that he was albino. To my young ears he sounded like the quintessential black bluesman carrying on the electric guitar slinging torch from Hendrix. What I didn't realize until years later was not only did he lead a very interesting life and career, but that he was hugely popular in the s and 70s; this was in contrast to the blank stares I got back from my friends when we started getting heavily into playing music and using the classic rock we were discovering as our touchstones after I mentioned Johnny Winter's name. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I saw that Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter was released recently, and even happier to learn that it is his authorized biography. She began her quest to write this book in with Winter's cooperation, only to be stymied by his management multiple times. Finally, Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter later, management was out of the way and Johnny gave his full cooperation. The result is the only authorized biography of Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter great bluesman, done with his blessing and direct input. His ringing endorsement in the introduction prepares us for a story filled with incredible highs and some despicable lows, and it's clear from both Johnny and the author that their friendship and numerous sit-down interviews ensure that this will be as true a story Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter can be told. No book on Johnny Winter's life can be told without first focusing on his albinism, which is something he refused to Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter define him. He and his brother Edgar, both albinos, were born to non-albino parents in Beaumont, Texas in the mids. While the brothers grew up in a very nurturing and stable upper-middle class upbringing, they did endure some hardship due to their condition, mainly in taunts and comments from their peers and other adults who were not used to seeing albinos. Growing up in the still-segregated south made it more pronounced. There were also health consequences from their condition, mainly poor eyesight and sensitivity to sunlight. However, Johnny and Edgar were very musical from an early age, and the book follows their progression from playing ukulele and singing Everly Brothers songs as small kids to their forming their first bands as teenagers and playing concerts all over Texas and later on, nearby Mississippi and Louisiana. Just as no book about Johnny Winter can neglect to discuss his albinism, it's also true that no book can fail to also include his younger brother Edgar, himself a very talented and successful musician and the co-conspirator in so many of Johnny's musical endeavors, from boyhood to the present day. Contrary to many accounts of Johnny, he's a very intelligent and educated man who is an accomplished musician and singer beyond the blistering guitar solos and screaming bluesy vocals. He's also an accomplished pianist, drummer, arranger, producer, and singer as is Edgar. After recording numerous original and cover songs for local labels in the south in the early to mids, which would come back to haunt and dog him for his entire career, Johnny was determined to play blues and hooked up with "Uncle" John Turner and Tommy Shannon to form his first band. After recording their excellent "Progressive Blues Experiment" debut album, they attracted the attention of magazine and subsequently, a bidding war broke out between record companies eager to sign him. Eventually signing with inthe next decade was a whirlwind for Johnny. Live and Captured Live! Loads of money coming in, late night jams in clubs with , collaborations with onstage and in bed, appearances at numerous festivals including , changing band lineups, drug addictions, deaths, and women all happened to Johnny in a short span of time, and they came on hard. Everything is covered in the book and nothing is sugarcoated. However, I don't want it to sound like it's all salacious stories and negative incidents. In fact, just the opposite; the overwhelming feeling I got from reading this book was the joy Johnny gets from being a musician and playing his style of blues and rock, as well as the deep and genuine affection and love his family and friends have for him as a human being. Career-wise, despite his horrific management situation which I'll get to in a bithe's been very successful, both commercially and critically. Besides his own and tours, he revived ' career late in the blues master's life for which they won multiple Grammy awardshas sat in with everyone from B. King and John Lee Hooker to and , and has been recognized as the premier blues of his generation, which is saying something given who his peers in that area are for instance, , anyone? He was the first white person to be inducted into the , which is ironic if you consider that not only is Johnny white, he's as white as one can physically be as an albino! The humor was not lost on Johnny, but that's a towering achievement that's a testament to his talent, dedication, Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter personality and something he's rightfully proud of. At this moment, I need to introduce the other main thread that runs through this book which I alluded to above: Johnny's shockingly shady and dishonest management. While this is nothing new in the history of the music industry, what is eye-opening in Johnny's case is justhow long it went on. Raisin' Cain is also the tale of nearly forty years of mismanagement and blown chances that cost people loads of money, opportunities, and in many cases, their lives. Without giving too much away to anyone who wants to read this book, the incredible Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter to me was that, as big a star as Johnny was, especially in the period, he could've been ten times more successful and popular given different managers who actually cared about him as a person and musician and didn't view him simply as a freakshow and a meal ticket to exploit for their own gain. The feeling I got at the end of the book was that Johnny was a massive success despite , Teddy Slatus, and Betty Johnston all of whom collaboratively managed his career in some capacity from until or so. From lying to Johnny and Susan his lifelong companion and wifeskimming money off the top of everything, exploiting Johnny with shoddy releases and gig cancellations that damaged his reputation, sabotaging his attempts to get off drugs, and later on purposely conspiring with shady doctors to keep Johnny drugged up and under their influence so that he could be easily manipulated, the behavior of his management is shocking, disgusting, and I won't lie that I was quite happy to read how they all died lonely and in disgrace. While it's acknowledged by Johnny and those close to him that he does share some of the blame for enabling and tolerating the behavior of Paul, Slatus, and Johnston for so long, it's also true that most of what went on behind the scenes wasn't discovered until much later and that those three cretins did a very good job covering their tracks for decades until they were finally discovered. The happy ending is that Johnny's bandmates and friends helped him to get out from under management's thumb, overcome the medication he was forced to take, and to get him back to being healthy, happy, and playing the music he loves. As far as biographies go, this is one of the better ones I've read. It's clear that while Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter author has affection for Winter and his music, she is also not afraid to document some of the more sordid and bizarre aspects of his life, from his inability to stay faithful to any one woman until he finally married longtime girlfriend Susan into his various addictions, strange sleeping and eating habits, and clashes with certain bandmates and producers, it's all in the book. There are some cases where the book begins to read as if it were just patched together from quote after quote from various sources, and this mainly occurs toward the end of the book which discusses the decline period of Johnny's career in the Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of s. Overall, however, when the book relies more on firsthand accounts and new interviews which is how the bulk of the book is presentedit's very enjoyable and interesting. Something evident throughout the entire book is that Johnny has a great sense of humor about nearly everything and that, while he admits in the introduction that it's painful at times to read the "not-so-good bits" from his past, he has no regrets. In general, it seems that people really like him as a person, which as an albino and respected musician, was all he ever wanted and something he goes to great lengths to reiterate repeatedly in the book. Unequivocally, he states at the end of the book that he wouldn't do anything differently if he could go back and live his life over again. At the end of the day, his goal in life was to be a "pretty good blues player" and on that count, he succeeded in spades. Post a Comment. Raisin' Cain - The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter - News

Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice. She first met the famed guitarist and singer inbut it took nearly 20 years before Winter agreed to cooperate on a Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter biography. I spent a year at his house in Connecticut on Saturdays interviewing him. I drank water. He drank vodka. It took a while for him to get comfortable with me. Once he did, he opened up. She says that while Winter admits to making many mistakes during his life and career, he seems to have found happiness as he enters his 60s. Is he a saint or a sinner? Who am I to judge? God bless him. From the time he was a kid, he thought he was going to be famous. To Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter that kind of confidence and to just keep at it. Winter wrote the foreword to the book and indicated that he wanted all of his story told, the good and the bad. Winter continues to perform on recordings and in concert. UConn University of Connecticut. Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter by Mary-Lou Sullivan

Johnny's award for playing on Mr. Lucky with John Lee Hooker. 's tribute album to Johnny got pushed back to April or May by the virus. Two of the posters at Saturday's auction are rare because Johnny's band was called Winter and was the opening act. fired him shortly into the project cause they thought he was "uppity. According to Uncle John, Johnny wanted Eddie to record the rain and he Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter because he was a no-nonsense guy. Who knows what really happened. Johnny was 15 when Dart Records released his first single in It was the first club where they were allowed to play blues instead of top 40 songs and where Johnny met and opened for Muddy Waters in Happy Birthday, Johnny. Here's a iconic shot of him and Edgar playing pirates. He told me he always won cause he made up the rules. Like bringing a revolver to a sword fight Beautiful version of "Such a Night" performed by Dr. Heard this on the radio Christmas Eve and burst out in a big smile. Cause I spent most of that year interviewing him for Raisin' Cain and was thrilled that we had become friends. When he saw him again at Raisin Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter Houston Coliseum in Augusthe kept repeating "Nobody can be that good. Johnny Winter born February 23, Jump to. Sections of this page. Accessibility Help. Email or Phone Password Forgot account? Log In. Forgot account? Not Now. Visitor Posts. Information about Page Insights Data. Thanks, Andy! This is a great photo. Johnny and Susan chillin' at home. I'm going to be putting up a few clips from a double bill show with Edgar Winter and his band opening up for his brother Johnny! The show was recorded at Ham Thanks, Andrew Grzybowski. Great shot of Johnny! Tasty slide with Bobby T Torello in drums. Johnny is tripping his brains out, but he still sounds fabulous. Relaxing backstage. Johnny Winter. See More.