Edgar Winter Pays Tribute to Johnny: ‘My Greatest Musical Hero’
Johnny Winter’s brother, multi-instrumentalist Edgar, will pay tribute to his sibling, who died at age 70 last week, on his upcoming tour. In a statement, Edgar expressed admiration for Johnny and remorse for his passing. “My wife, Monique, and I are shocked at the suddenness of Johnny’s passing, especially since I was so looking forward with such joy and anticipation to seeing him again and playing together,” Edgar wrote on Facebook. “I know his body is departing this physical realm, but his presence, his music, and his spirit are undiminished, and alive as ever in my heart.
“Johnny has always been, is now and will forever remain my greatest musical hero of all time,” he continued. “But more than all that, he’s my brother – in family, in music, in life and beyond. I will do my best to carry on in honor of his memory and the Winter name.”
The Lion in Johnny Winter: A Tribute to the Guitar Icon
Accordingly, Edgar has reprogrammed his upcoming Rock ‘n’ Blues Fest tour to serve as a tribute to Johnny. On each date of the tour, the Edgar Winter Band, Vanilla Fudge, Rare Earth member Peter Rivera and Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmonds intend to play songs that fans associate with Johnny, Vintage Vinyl News reports. Rick Derringer, whose “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” Winter recorded with Derringer on his Johnny Winter And album in 1970, will appear as a special guest on the tour’s final two nights.
Johnny Winter’s final album, Step Back, is still set to come out on September 2nd. It will feature the Texas blues guitarist playing with the likes of Eric Clapton, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, among others.
Here are the tour dates for the Rock ‘n’ Blues Fest tour:
7/31 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/01 Westbury, NY – NYCB Theatre at Westbury
8/02 Rockland, ME – Harbor Park
8/03 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
8/05 Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
8/06 Cohasset, MA – South Shore Music Circus
8/07 New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre
8/08 Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
8/10 Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theatre
8/13 Melbourne, FL – King Center For Performing Arts
8/14 Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
8/15 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
8/16 Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
8/21 San Jose, CA – City National Civic of San Jose
8/22 Anaheim, CA – City National Grove of Anaheim
8/23 Las Vegas, NV – Cannery Casino Hotel
8/24 Snoqualmie, WA – Snoqualmie Casino