Song:Free Ride
Album:The Best Of Edgar Winter
Like his older brother Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter is a blues musician at heart. But he had his successful fling with pop stardom in the 70s with Free Ride and Frankenstein. And of course we all remember the crazy costumes. Edgar was born Dec. 28, 1946 in Beaumont, TX. The brothers played local clubs together as teens. Edgar idolized Cannonball Adderley and Hamk Crawford so he learned the alto sax. But by the time he was 19, he could play keyborads, bass, guitar and drums. Johnny took Edgar on tour with him when Johnny signed with Columbia and this led to Edgar getting a deal with Epic. His 1970 debut album Entrance is more funk than rock. It's a great album but it didn't sell. He started working with Rick Derringer beginning with the 1972 album Edgar Winter's White Trash. Derringer had been in The McCoys and had also worked with Johnny. He would be a big part of Edgar Winter's success. The Edgar Winter Group was formed in 1972 and They Only Come Out At Night was their biggest success. Frankenstein topped the charts and Free Ride reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Guitarist Dan Hartman wrote Free Ride and a lot of the other songs on the album. He had a big hit with Instant Replay in 1978. Ronnie Montrose was also in that band. This band continued to do well in the mid-70s but faded by the end of the decade probably because Derringer and Hartman had successful solo careers. Winter even attempted disco. He hasn't recorded for a major label in years and you can get all his hits on this comp. Edgar Winter is currently touring with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band. Here's Edgar Winter performing Free Ride 1973.
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