Blues fans mourned the death of Johnny Winter who died at 70 years old as his body was in a hotel room in Switzerland last Wednesday.
Before the report that Johnny Winter died, the 70-year-old American blues guitarist was doing a European tour and was in Zurich, Switzerland at the time of his passing.CNN said that based on the information on his official Facebook page, he was not due back in the US until later July.
In the report, Lori Haynes, his spokeswoman, has said that the musician's wife, family and bandmates are mourning Johnny Winter's death.
USA Today described Johnny Winter as an intense blues guitarist possessed with a distinctive snarling voice and a striking presence with his long fleecy, white hair and pale, slim frame. A 1968 Rolling Stone article said that he played some of the boldest and most flowing blues music ever heard. The magazine has also ranked him 63rd in the Top 100 greatest guitarists in the world.
According to CNN, Winter, whose family originally hailed from Mississippi, grew up in Beaumont, Texas. He and his brother Edgar were born albinos. In 1959, at the young age of 15, he already started playing guitar in Texas clubs.
Johnny Winter disclosed in his 2014 documentary "Johnny Winter: Down and Dirty," that he considered 1959, the year when he started playing clubs, and 1969, the year he performed at Woodstock, as the big ones for him. In the same year (1969), he signed up for his self-titled debut album with Columbia records. It was then followed by another album entitled "Second Winter."
Earlier this year, Johnny Winter revealed through his official website that he had a forthcoming album slated for release in September. With a title "Step Back," it includes guest performances by Dr. John, Eric Clapton and Joe Perry.
Before Johnny Winter died, he was scheduled to have a show packed summer tour, which included 15 planned concerts across the United States in August.
