Johnny Winters - Fiddle & Vocals
Johnny made a pact with the devil at a crossroads near Gedney Dyke in the Fens. That means he can play fiddle like a demon. Find more about him from the horses mouth...
Raised on a diet of classical music and opera, I was nine before I was exposed to pop and rock on Radio Caroline by my friend’s older brother. The folks were horrified and to this day my Dad doesn’t understand any musical noises I make.
The effect of this classical indoctrination saw me arguing, on one occasion, that Floyd, Yes, Genesis and the like wouldn’t stand the test of time and only the old masters would endure, how wrong I was.
Teenage rebellion led me to abandon violin and switch to bass guitar, hoping it would bring fame and fortune. Not to be, or someone else would be writing this. However, for most of my teens and early twenties I played almost exclusively original material with a variety of bands in the Hertfordshire area, gigging for whoever would have us or better still, pay us! The composition of music, performing to all manner of audiences, minor celebrity status and the attention it drew ensured much fun over the years.
Upon starting my family in Norfolk and adopting a more serious approach to life I flogged my bass stack to a punk down the road, (Hi Ian, if you read this) and serenaded the wife and kids on a six string, not missing the past high life at all.
At some rash moment I took up Morris dancing, mixing and drinking with the best of them at festivals in the UK and Europe. It was the music rather than the dancing or the silly outfits that attracted me, and some thirty years after quitting it, I laid my hands on a violin again, much to the horror of neighbours, spouse and kids. Following some intensive struggling and much encouragement from friends and fellow musos I became involved in several bands, one of which, ceiledh band ‘Beatroot’, enjoyed some success. Along side Beatroot I was in ‘Map of Tasmania’ and its abridged version, ‘Mapotazi’, which brings us right up to date and the new phenomena of the Rum Brothers. let’s see if this one can stand the test of time.