Houston has been a favorite haunt for blues guitar hero Johnny Winter for years. Back when the Beaumont native was just starting out with his equally talented brother Edgar, Johnny frequently honed his skills on Houston stages. He was no stranger to Houston recording studios either, recording for local label Dart Records. He eventually moved here, but of course it wasnย’t long before he outgrew us and hit the road with blues biggies like Muddy Waters and Joe Cotton (that magic is captured in the recently released Breakinย’ it Up, & Breakinย’ it Down, a reissue of music from Winterย’s 1977 tour with Waters and Cotton). But the bluesman, who has released more than 30 records in the last 40 years, comes back through town every once in a while. Blues fans hungry for a performance by a champion guitar slinger wonย’t want to miss this show. Itย’s a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see a real-deal Texas music legend play some red-hot blues ย— just donย’t stand too close to the stage, you might get burned.
8 p.m. The Meridian, 1503 Chartres. For information and tickets, call 713-225-1717 or visit
www.meridianhouston.com. $25

Fri., Oct. 12, 9 p.m., 2007

This article appears in Oct 11-17, 2007.

Nicholas L. Hall is a husband and father who earns his keep playing a video game that controls the U.S. power grid. He also writes for the Houston Press about food, booze and music, in an attempt to keep...