Blues guitarist Johnny Winter dies at 70.
Johnny Winter, a Texas-bred guitarist and singer who was a mainstay of the blues-rock world since the 1960s, died on Wednesday in his hotel room in Zurich. He was 70 and had been on tour in Europe. He was one of the world's finest guitarists," his rep. Lori Haynes, said. Winter was in Zurich, Switzerland, as part of a tour of Europe, although he was scheduled to return to the United States for shows later in July. Winter first gained national attention when Rolling Stone magazine featured the the Texas music scene in a December 1968 cover story. It captioned his photo: "Johnny Winter, Albino Bluesman." The article said guitarist Mike Bloomfield considered the young Winter the "best white blues guitarist he had ever heard." Rolling Stone now ranks Winter 63rd on its list of 100 greatest guitarists. Winter announced this year that he had another album ready for release in September. "Step Back" will include contributions from guests i...