Opening track ‘Mean Town Blues’ showcases Edgar’s voice in a most appealing tuneful snarl over a prime steak up tempo boogie rocker. Ultimately, however, it doesn’t really matter, what you really need to do is sit back, listen, enjoy and pick out your favourites. Now, I’ve heard a few Johnny Winter numbers in my time but I’m by no means an expert, so sifting out which are tracks written by him, covers that were part of his repertoire, and a few written specifically by Edgar for this record isn’t easy. Bass duties are pretty evenly shared out between Bob Glaub and Sean Hurley, and a who’s who of US guitarists fly their nation’s flag proudly, with members of both the Doobie and Allman Brothers pitching in here and there, alongside those from Little Feat, ZZ Top, The Eagles, Toto, Bon Jovi and the Foo Fighters. With rare exception Gregg Bissonette is the man hitting the sticks, Ringo Starr beats time on what’s probably my favourite track on the album, and Kenny Aronoff lays down percussion and a timbale solo on a couple. If music begins with rhythm, Winter ensured those sitting behind the drum stool were the best. Its also very apparent how well this has been project managed by Edgar Winter, not only getting the right kind of people involved but standing back himself a little when others might shine a light on a song better than him. We’re used to seeing a list of famous names appear on tribute records, but this time it sounds like most of the guys involved weren’t just signing in, there are some considerable contributions. His time for grieving lessened he began to dedicate the last part of his shows to him, then latterly came the development of this record. The surviving Winter brother kept being asked to pay tribute to Johnny on record and elsewhere. While Johnny played the blues Edgar supposedly favoured jazz, in fact his wings spread further as the hit singles ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Free Ride’ proved a multi-instrumentalist including saxophones and keyboards, as a vocalist he’s been said to influence singers as diverse as Dave Lee Roth and Ian Gillan. A fellow albino, prejudices drew the siblings closer, as did a love of music.

His brother Edgar took it hard, naturally. While it’s true, white-haired albino and ultra-thin whizz-kid Johnny Winter, put in some European-time and made fans, a hellfire lifestyle curtailed productive activity here for many a year, then just as his career was gaining traction once more, he passed away while on tour in France, back in 2014. Maybe they preferred the land of the brave to catching a plane and playing over here and gaining a larger audience. Possibly, it was because they played a purer form of the blues that didn’t translate as well to British dance halls. Geils and Johnny Winter perhaps never truly translated internationally in the way they should. Their reputation held high for a while, but lacking cosmopolitan panache, the likes of Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfeld, Elvin Bishop, J. Somehow, lost in the mix, was America’s homegrown white boys. That holy trinity of guitarists that sprang from The Yardbirds led to nearly every scruffy kid who played a six-string gaining notoriety over there, some still being revered to this day. The British Invasion of the USA was not only a prolific and creative time for post-war pale-skinned white boys from Surrey, it also helped reinvigorate interest in America’s homegrown musicians, with due respect given to the likes of the mighty Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy and the Kings, leading to some of them earning a decent living, and when royalties went their way, possibly a pension.

Edgar and johnny winter