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Johnny Winter — Highway 61 Revisited
Album: Second Winter
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1145









Released: 1969
Length: 5:02
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be putting me on"
God say, "No". Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killing done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61".

Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose
Welfare Department they wouldn't give him no clothes
He asked poor Howard where can I go
Howard said there's only one place I know
Sam said tell me quick man I got to run
Ol' Howard just pointed with his gun
And said that way down on Highway 61.

Well Mack the Finger said to Louie the King
I got forty red white and blue shoe strings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring
Do you know where I can get rid of these things
And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son
And he said yes I think it can be easily done
Just take everything down to Highway 61.

Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told the first father that things weren't right
My complexion she said is much too white
He said come here and step into the light he says hmm you're right
Let me tell the second mother this has been done
But the second mother was with the seventh son
And they were both out on Highway 61.

Now the rovin' gambler he was very bored
He was tryin' to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes I think it can be very easily done
We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun
And have it on Highway 61.
Comments (55)add comment
This cover is significantly inferior to the original by Mr. Zimmerman, yet we never hear the Dylan version--only the Johnny Winter version. What's up with that? I'm tired of hearing this! 
Yes another cover and not even good!  Stop for the love of god!
Maybe because this music lasted from the time I was a young teen through now more than 5 decades and has never stopped making me stop in my tracks and listen, I don't understand why it isn't at least an 8 on any hard core, old school rocker's top 50 list. Seeing Johnny play in the mid 70's in South Florida was one of the balls out rocking'est shows I've ever seen. And I've been around enough to see plenty.  Brother Edgar also put on a phenomenal show. 
Johnny just burns this one down.  There's fire in that slide guitar.
US Highway 61, the Blues Highway, runs along the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans.
Not very often do I feel a track deserving of the sucko-barfo...but this one fits the bill...
 bitbanger wrote:

Don't hear Johnny Winter played that much anymore, but he was one of the greats of blues guitar. I had the good fortune to see him live a number of times. He put on a great show and always had a very talented band with him. He is missed, furshur.


Well, he died in 2014, but I'll bet he's still blistering a Strat on Radio Paradise.
I can still smell the South Carolina pine trees as we cruised down the dirt road, all windows wide open to let out smoke, singing this loudly to whatever wildlife couldn't escape our own wildness!
Great song... done so well by Johnny!
 JayGee wrote:


Ahem! 

It's good (in fact it's great), but it's not Jimi Hendrix's All Along The Watch Tower good...



I  Agree!!
Great!!
 idiot_wind wrote:

Best cover ever of a Dylan song!!!!


The live versions kick ass!!!!



Ahem! 

It's good (in fact it's great), but it's not Jimi Hendrix's All Along The Watch Tower good...
 LaurieinTucson wrote:
love the Dave Alvin version I can’t find it anywhere do you still have it bill? where did you get it?
 


YouTube Music

Don't hear Johnny Winter played that much anymore, but he was one of the greats of blues guitar. I had the good fortune to see him live a number of times. He put on a great show and always had a very talented band with him. He is missed, furshur.
 idiot_wind wrote:
Best cover ever of a Dylan song!!!!


The live versions kick ass!!!!
 
Ummmmm.... this IS good, but I can think of a better one.

love the Dave Alvin version I can’t find it anywhere do you still have it bill? where did you get it?
 daveyb wrote:
This was the 3-sided album. Double disc with one side blank. 
 
Oh yeah! And it didn't even have a run out groove,  did it?
 Jelani wrote:
So much better than the original. So much. But kudos to Bob for writing it...
 
All these Texas guitar slingers (Johnny Winters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins et al) played with such fire and pure guts
So much better than the original. So much. But kudos to Bob for writing it...
 Forest267 wrote:
Sounds like Bobcat Golthwait singing with George Thorogood playing in the background. Bizarre.
  to funny, i almost snorted out  the milk i was drinking when i read that.

This was the 3-sided album. Double disc with one side blank. 
 fredriley wrote:
This guy's voice is a ringer for Barney Gumble from The Simpsons :o)


 

Beats Dylan's voice!
Definitely a classic! Keep playin' this kinda groove guys...
Is it me? I hear a stoned & drunk Kermit The Frog singing this tune.

Although it severely limited the hope I had for becoming a career musician, on balance I think the fact that the pennywhistle never quite took off as a musical instrument is a GOOD thing.
 Forest267 wrote:
Sounds like Bobcat Golthwait singing with George Thorogood playing in the background. Bizarre.
 
LOL.
I hear a stoned & drunk Kermit The Frog singing.
Go Johnny, Go, Go!
 idiot_wind wrote:
Best cover ever of a Dylan song!!!!


The live versions kick ass!!!!
 
I'll go +2, 6 to 8, based on your endorsement (if idiot_wind likes a BD cover, I do too!) and that fabulous guitar playing.  Long Live RP and the hundreds of BD songs (and thousands of covers)!!
Best cover ever of a Dylan song!!!!


The live versions kick ass!!!!
This song is improved 1000x by any version which does not include a pennywhistle.
Johnny was the real deal. The best of the blues guitar revivalists
WOW BILL!!!  Thank you!  Love Johnny. {#Bananajam}
 NewFee wrote:
Logged in to say this guy sings like a Muppet. Was not disappointed by the other comments.
 
Johnny sounds RAW which in my world is a good thing...
 NewFee wrote:
Logged in to say this guy sings like a Muppet. Was not disappointed by the other comments.
 
He sings like Animal, to be specific. {#Drummer}
Excellent!
Logged in to say this guy sings like a Muppet. Was not disappointed by the other comments.
I know Johnny made a lot of contributions to blues over the years - he is a gifted man on guitar.  But I seriously hate his voice.... Running my cat over with the vacuum cleaner sounds better...
YES! Winter in Spring! Thank you Bill.
Now those were the days....
Sounds like Bobcat Golthwait singing with George Thorogood playing in the background. Bizarre.
This guy's voice is a ringer for Barney Gumble from The Simpsons :o)


There's snowballs in Hell
Johnny on RP!!!
I thought I would never see the day!!!!
Now If you could just dig out that song I submitted to the LRC about a year or so ago{#Clap} 
 ch83575 wrote:
Anybody else notice that everything other than the slide guitar (and the lyrics I suppose) really sucks.
 

But that guitar . . . .{#Bananajam}
Good cover, but Dave Albin's, much much better.
 Dalebarely wrote:
This is maybe the first Dylan cover I've ever heard that didn't improve on the original.

awful. just awful.
 

probably explains why Dylan considered this the best of all covers

Nice!

NIce! Finally hearin us some Johnny out here although the Captured Live cover is the better version, Johnny hails as the best of the white bluesmen. Now go deeper into the catalogue; Dallas off the Black Album, Aint That a Kindness and Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo off the And album, the Captured Live stuff, like Sweet Papa John with Floyd Radford, the straight up blues stuff and collaborations with Muddy etc......

I never thought I'd see the day: a Dylan cover worse than the original. iTunes, take me away!
Pretty cool Bill - I noted no Johnny Winter before now corrected!

Anybody else notice that everything other than the slide guitar (and the lyrics I suppose) really sucks.
...not bad!..
That's some bodacious slide action ...
This is maybe the first Dylan cover I've ever heard that didn't improve on the original.

awful. just awful.
It ain't Bob, but it ain't bad.
Yes, Yes, thank you,thank you.