Remembering Pat Ramsey (1955-2008)...

Remembering an old friend: Johnny Winter and the entire JohnnyWinter.com community send their condolences to the friends of family of harmonica master Pat Ramsey, who died November 17 at the age of 55 following an extended illness. Johnny's long-time fans will remember Pat's tremendous contributions to Johnny's 1978 masterpiece White Hot & Blue. For more background on Pat and his career, click here.

(Above photo: Johnny and Pat tear it up in late 2007.)

Like many working musicians, Pat had no health insurance. To learn how you can make a contribution to help Pat's loved ones defray his medical expenses, please visit PatRamsey.com.

On the road: Following a successful run through Europe and a series of East Coast dates in November, Johnny will play his first post-Thanksgiving gigs this weekend. On Friday (Dec. 5) he'll be in Foxboro, Massachusetts for a show at Showcase Live, and on Saturday (Dec. 6) he'll play B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City's Times Square. (Johnny's gigs at B.B. King's are always real crowd-pleasers -- and they're also frequently sold out -- so if you're planning to go, be sure to get your tickets while you can!)

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam: Johnny is scheduled to be a part of a star-studded lineup for this year's Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, which will take place Friday and Saturday, December 12-13, at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, and the line-up for the two-day event is simply killer: the Allman Brothers Band, the Derek Trucks Band, Steve Earle, Gov't Mule, Joan Osborne and Ben Harper, among many others. All proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity. (Johnny is confirmed for Saturday, December 13. The previous day, he's slated to play the Handlebar in Greenville, South Carolina.)

For current lineups and ticket information, visit the official Christmas Jam Web site. And for a complete list of all of Johnny's tour dates, click here.

An extraordinary sculptor: A few people have written in to ask about the artist who created the fantastic likeness of Johnny out of a redwood tree. (See image in following post.) We're happy to tell you that his name is Rabbani Kenyon of Albion, California, and you can learn more about his work by visiting redwoodsculptures.com. Great work, Rabbani!

'Live Through the '70s' now available on DVD! And this reviewer gives it a thumbs-up.