Kurt Winter

Kurt Winter (April 2, 1946 - December 14, 1997) was a Canadian guitarist.

Starting his career with the Winnipeg bands "the Fifth", "Gettysbyrg Address", and "Brother", Winter joined The Guess Who in May, 1970, along with co-guitarist Greg Leskiw to fill the gigantic shoes of the recently-departed Randy Bachman. As a songwriter, Winter contributed greatly to the Guess Who catalogue, penning the hit singles "Bus Rider" and "Hand Me Down World" among others. He co-wrote several songs with group leader Burton Cummings, including Winter's personal favourite, "Runnin' Back To Saskatoon".

Winter played stunning machine gun style solos on such hit songs as "Raindance" and "Albert Flasher". In spite of the guitar bravado, Cummings was known to have commented that Winter was "not much of a fashion plate," preferring to perform in his trademark sleeveless "Sound by Garnet" sweatshirt.

The Guess Who was constantly in a state of flux and Winter was summarily invited to leave the band (along with guitarist Donnie McDougall) in June, 1974. They were replaced by ex-James Gang boogiemeister, Dom Troiano.

Kurt Winter was an astute businessman in addition to his musical talents. After leaving The Guess Who, his successful business interests included a mattress and bedding store, located in Toronto.

Winter later regrouped with various incarnations of the band under the leadership of bassist Jim Kale, but the music would never be the same. Suffering severe health problems from years of drug abuse, Winter died of kidney failure on December 14, 1997.

So Long, Bannatyne

The Guess Who's 1971 album and song, "So Long, Bannatyne", illustrate a transition in Kurt Winter's life. The front of the album cover for the vinyl LP has the words "So Long, Bannatyne" above a red Chevy with a Manitoba licence plate. In the background there is a building labelled "Bannatyne Apartments". On the back of the album cover is the red Chevy again, but in a residential neighbourhood. The song lyrics include the line:

"So long Bannatyne, hello my Chevrier home."

According to Phil Larson [Private e-mail dated March 6, 2006, from Phil Larson to ] , a friend of Kurt who went to school with him, the red Chevy belonged to Kurt, and the Bannatyne Apartments, located on Bannatyne Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, were where he lived with his parents on the second floor while going to junior high school and high school. (The junior high school was across the street to the left of the apartments.) Kurt would practise playing a cherry red Gibson guitar in the apartment, unplugged to avoid the neighbours' complaints. Even at that age, says Phil, "Kurt could play anything he heard on the radio, by ear." When Kurt began earning songwriting money, he bought the house shown on the back of the album cover for his parents, and lived there with them. The house was located on Chevrier Boulevard in the Winnipeg suburbs.

Winter's Guess Who Discography

* 1970 "Share the Land"
* 1971 "Best of The Guess Who"
* 1971 "So Long, Bannatyne"
* 1971 "Live at the Paramount"
* 1972 "Rockin' "
* 1973 "Best of the Guess Who Volume 2"
* 1973 "Artificial Paradise"
* 1973 "#10"
* 1974 "Road Food"
* 1978 "Guess Who's Back?"
* 1979 "All This For a Song"
* 1988 "Track Record: The Guess Who Collection"
* 1997 "The Guess Who: The Ultimate Collection"
* 1999 "The Guess Who: Greatest Hits"
* 2000 "Live at the Paramount" (re-mastered)
* 2000 "Share the Land (re-mastered)
* 2003 "Platinum & Gold Collection: The Guess Who"
* 2004 "Wheatfield Soul / Artificial Paradise" (re-mastered)
* 2004 "So Long Bannatyne / #10" (re-mastered)
* 2004 "Rockin' / Flavours" (re-mastered)
* 2004 "Road Food / Power in the Music" (re-mastered)
* 2006 "Bachman Cummings Song Book"

References

External Links and Sources

* [http://www.canadianbands.com/Guess%20Who.html CanConRox – Guess Who]
* [http://community-2.webtv.net/mmchadbourne/AHO/page3.html All Hashed Out – The Guess Who]