The Essential Johnny Winter


The Essential Johnny Winter is a two-CD album by guitarist and singer Johnny Winter. It is a compilation of songs from previously released albums, many of them from the late 1960s and the 1970s. It was released by Columbia Records on April 30, 2013.

Critical reception

On AllMusic, Steve Leggett wrote, "This set collects essential tracks and sides from his peak Columbia Records years in the late '60s and early to mid-'70s, a time when Winter's guitar-slinger image was being aggressively marketed. This collection doesn't tell the whole story, but it does spotlight his most commercial period, and quite wisely includes several live tracks, which quite effectively show off Winter's roaring stage image."
On Vintagerock.com, Shawn Perry said, "Taking five decades of Winter's music, both in the studio and on stage, and fitting the best of the best onto two CDs may not have been as easy as it sounds, but the results spread out over The Essential Johnny Winter are sure to give you a decent overview of what the man is about... Where you'll hear the best of everything about Johnny Winter is in the live performances slotted in throughout the set."
On Jambands.com, Ron Hart wrote, "There isn't a meaner white boy alive today who can match the scorchin' blues guitar of the great Johnny Winter.... If you are a novice to Winter's six-string stylings and could use an ample starting point, look no further than The Essential Johnny Winter two-disc set..."

Track listing

;Disc 1
  1. "Rock Me Baby" – 3:50
  2. "Highway 61 Revisited" – 5:07
  3. "One Step at a Time" – 3:59
  4. "Leland Mississippi Blues" – 3:29
  5. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" – 3:31
  6. "TV Mama" – 3:10
  7. "Good Morning Little School Girl" – 4:39
  8. "Talk Is Cheap" – 3:43
  9. "Roll with Me" – 4:53
  10. "Rock and Roll People" – 2:45
  11. "It's My Own Fault" – 11:53
  12. "Hustled down in Texas" – 3:32
  13. "Still Alive and Well" – 3:44
  14. "Black Cat Bone" – 5:44
  15. "Honest I Do" – 4:20
  16. "Bon Ton Roulet" – 4:44
  17. "Johnny B. Goode" – 3:42
;Disc 2
  1. "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter" – 4:57
  2. "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" – 4:30
  3. "Rollin' Cross the Country" – 4:31
  4. "Bony Maronie" – 6:41
  5. "Dallas" – 2:45
  6. "Miss Ann" – 3:40
  7. "Self Destructive Blues" – 3:27
  8. "Be Careful with a Fool" – 5:15
  9. "Mean Town Blues" – 10:57
  10. "I'll Drown in My Tears" – 4:44
  11. "Tired of Tryin'" – 3:40
  12. "Harlem Shuffle" – 3:38
  13. "Sweet Papa John" – 3:09
  14. "Prodigal Son" – 4:16
  15. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 4:25
  16. "Hurtin' So Bad" – 4:39
  17. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" – 4:28