Edgar Winter: The Raunchiest Alto Sax Of Them All

One of my favorite all time musicians is Edgar Winter.Roadwork. This album is great on so many levels.
He's one of a very few alto sax players that inspiredBesides the band leader on vocals, piano, and alto sax,
my playing as a tenor saxophonist. He's one of thosethere was another great singer named Jerry Lacroix
guys that get's a really good, big raunchy rock &who also played sax (tenor) and Jon Smith who
roll sound on the alto sax. When people talk about rockplayed most of the rockin' tenor sax solos.
& roll sax it's almost always referring to a tenorWhile the Frankenstein record was being played on all
player, but Edgar just screams and wails as bad asFM radio stations in North America the Roadwork
any rockin' tenor.album came out and was completely different. White
I've talked to people that knew of Edgar Winter andTrash played R&B, rootsy rock & roll, gospel,
didn't even realize he was a saxophonist. Truth is he'sand funk flavored tunes. You couldn't pigeon hole
so multi talented he doesn't even need to pick up histhese guys like you could every other artist that was
horn. The guy sings and plays keyboards just as well.on the radio in those days, I guess thats why I like
Some of his big hit songs from the 70's like "Free Ride"them so much, they really were different.
and "Just Hangin Around" didn't even have sax in themA little later in 1974 The Edgar Winter Group released
so it's understandable how that could get by the casual"Shocktreatment", a rockin' album full of great pop
fan.songs. A good example of Edgar's sax sound is on a
Remember his big hit "Frankenstein"? Didn't sing in thisgreat Dan Hartman song "Easy Street". Hartman was
instrumental but displayed his amazing talents on thea talented songwriter and the bass player in this
timbale solo, synthesizer solo, and sax section solo.group's line up. This Edgar Winter alto sax solo is
The same year Frankenstein came out Edgar Winternothing short of perfect!
& The White Trash put out a live album called