Johnny Winter, the legendary late rock artist, has had a copious amount of hits. One of which, “Guess I’ll Go Away”, released on 1970 for the album Johnny Winter And, was just adapted to a new cover released new cover today from the talented Taylor Hawkins and Johnny Winter’s brother Edgar Winter.
The song is part of a tribute album from Edgar Winter for his brother titled Brother Johnny. The album is a celebration of 16 songs that Johnny Winter has worked on or has been featured in. “Guess I’ll Go Away”, however, is not just a tribute to Johnny, but to Hawkins as well. Just last month, Hawkins has passed away. And though the cause for his death is still unknown, fans honor another career from a rock icon including singer Paul McCarthy and Edgar himself. According to Consequence Sound, Edgar wrote “I had only just met Taylor, and barely got to know him, but I was so impressed by his sincerity, positive energy, and pure enthusiasm.”
The track is his first posthumous release. The cover is uncanny and faithful to the original. Even from the start, Hawkins perfectly capture’s Johnny’s infamous “Hey”, just before the rock-hard guitar solo. The entire track is a love letter to the original, as Hawkins’ voice, the beats, and the instrumentals have striking similarities. The main part that differentiates the cover from the original is the updated quality of sound, and the harder bass from the drums- making the track more head-banging than before.
Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz