He formed his first band at the age of 11, made his first record at 15 and became the protégé of a Zydeco bluesman named Clarence “Bon Ton” Garlow.Īlso read: Jeff Hanneman, Slayer Guitarist, Dead at 49īy the time he was 24 Winter had become a legend in Texas music circles, and his national profile was boosted immeasurably by a Rolling Stone article about the music scene in the state that called him “the hottest item outside of Janis Joplin.” It went on to describe Winter this way: “If you can imagine a 130-pound cross-eyed albino bluesman with long fleecy hair playing some of the gutsiest fluid blues guitar you have ever heard, then enter Johnny Winter.”Ī bidding war ensued, with Columbia Records signing Winter. He played clarinet as a child - but after a dentist told him the instrument was giving him a bad overbite, he shifted to ukulele and then guitar. Winter, ranked by Rolling Stone as the 63rd greatest guitarist of all time, was born in Beaumont, Texas in 1944.
Evidence suggests his death was medically related.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2014Īccording a police spokeswoman Reuters spoke to, a prosecutor has ordered an autopsy because the cause of death is not clear, but there was no indication of third-party involvement. “An official statement with more details shall be issued at the appropriate time.”
“His wife, family and bandmates are all saddened by the loss of their loved one and one of the world’s finest guitarists,” a brief statement on his Facebook read. Johnny Winter, a legendary blues guitarist, was found dead in his hotel in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday.
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