“Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer: In Concert” is another
DVD from the excellent Ohne Filter Musik Pur series.
This performance was given in 1990.
The working relationship between Winter (1946 – ) and
Derringer (1947 – ) dates back to the early 1970’s. In fact,
Derringer began collaborating with Edgar’s brother,
Johnny (1944-2014), as early as 1969 and writing Johnny’s
hit, “Rock n’ Roll Hoochie Koo” in 1970. Before going solo in
1970, Edgar had also been playing with Johnny’s band. As a
talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Edgar achieved
fame with the release of his third studio album,
“They Only Come Out at Night,” in 1972. The mega hits
“Free Ride” and “Frankenstein” were on this disc, which
featured Derringer doing double duty as an instrumentalist
and a producer. Derringer began his own solo career in the
mid 1970’s while continuing to cross paths with the Winter
brothers, and this 1990 concert is yet another collaboration
between Rick and Edgar.
The set consisted of eight songs, most of which were from
the old days, but also featured “Cry Out,” a then recent
release from Edgar Winter’s “Mission Earth” album. The other
songs performed included the aforementioned “Free Ride”
and “Rock n’ Roll Hoochie Koo,” while “Frankenstein” was
played as an encore. “Hang On Sloopy,” a 1965 Derringer hit
from his stint with The McCoys, was also performed.
Backed by drummer Kevin Hupp, bass guitarist Charlie Torres
and C.P. Roth on keyboards, Edgar and Rick shared lead vocal
duties while playing their respective instruments. Edgar was
featured on alto saxophone, strap-on keyboards and drums.
On the tune “Frankenstein,” Edgar played all three instruments,
moving between them during the course of the song.
Edgar also performed the lion’s share of the vocals, exhibiting
a fine Blues sensibility, along with some impressive scatting skills.
I thought that the trade-off of licks between Edgar’s vocals
and Rick’s guitar at the end of “Tobacco Road” dragged on a bit,
eating up too much time.
Derringer played a nice solo at the end of one of the songs,
showcasing his considerable guitar chops. Charlie Torres was
particularly supportive on bass, and well recorded in the mix.
Overall, this was a nice, albeit brief concert which the Ohne Filter
studio audience clearly enjoyed. I found it valuable, because
I’d never seen performances from either of these legends. I did
attend a Johnny Winter concert during the summer of 1983,
which was an all Blues affair, more or less, and held at the
Country Club in Reseda, California, a relatively small venue.
Due to the volume, my ears were ringing long after the concert!
The usual printed biographies and an interview with the
Ohne Filter series producer were included as DVD bonus features,
and the camerawork and sound quality were both well done.
I had fun watching this disc.
