Winterwood

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History

Winterwood 1973-1975

Early 1973:  Local band West plays at the Bonanza Club in Coon Rapids.  In the band are Bill Jordan on guitar and vocals and Gary Erickson on drums and vocals.

August, 1973: Bill Jordan plays a job at Dirty Flo’s Bar in downtown Minneapolis (24 Hennepin Avenue) with a few local musicians.  During the night the owner (Flo) approaches Bill and inquires if he has a band and if they would like to play at the bar. Bill tells Flo he has a band and they could play the bar in the near future.

Bill gets drummer Gary Erickson from West and John Thompson sits in with the band for a few songs one night at Flo’s.  The three decide to form a band and Bill comes up with the name Winterwood, the name of a song by Don McLean.  After playing at the bar for about three weeks the group decides to add a bass player to their lineup. Bill decides to contact Denny Johnson, as he had played with Denny in Jokers Wild.

The new band lineup is: Bill Jordan on lead guitar and vocals; John Thompson on rhythm guitar and vocals; Denny Johnson on bass guitar and vocals; and Gary Erickson on drums and vocals.

In addition to Dirty Flo’s, the band plays a number of local venues including: Hidden Haven, the Strawhouse, the Bonanza Club, the Frontier Club and numerous country clubs and VFW’s.  The band performs a wide variety of musical styles, covering Hank Williams to The Guess Who.  The band gains in popularity around town.

September, 1974: John Thompson graduates from Brown Institute and obtains a DJ job at a radio station in Defiance, Ohio. Gary Erickson decides to concentrate on a teaching career and to run his own business. With two members leaving the band, Winterwood version one comes to an end.

October, 1974: John Dahl, the owner of the Strawhouse, said he would book the band for the next year if they could come up with something that would fit the image of his club and draw a good crowd.

Denny contacts Bill Swanson who he worked with in Bullet and Bill joins the group on keyboards, guitar and vocals.  Bill Jordan contacted Lance Dunkirk who joins the group on drums and vocals.

Winterwood (version 2) has Bill Jordan on lead guitar and vocals; Bill Swanson on keyboards, guitar and vocals; Denny Johnson on bass guitar and vocals and Lance Dunkirk on drums and vocals.  This version of Winterwood does a wider variety of songs from country to Top-40 hits to R and B, including cover songs by Foghat and Grand Funk Railroad.  The band becomes the house band at the Strawhouse for the next year.

October, 1975:  Lance Dunkirk leaves the band to go to Loveland, Colorado. Bill Jordan and Bill Swanson decide to join local band Pony and Denny starts up a new band called Pecos with John Thompson, now back from his DJ job in Ohio.  Winterwood comes to an end.

Photos  (Click a photo to see it full-screen, then click the arrows to see the next one.)

Band Reunion in July 2009

Reunion at Sunrise Sound on July 21, 2011

 

 

  CDs

To  Listen  –  ( Click  on  Audio  Player )

Kaw-Liga – From Dirty Flo’s CD

Hobo  Bill

This Time You Gave Me a Mountian – Dirty Flo’s CD

Jim  Beam

Sunday Mourning Coming Down

Fever

Most  Of  All

 

I  Remember  The  Year  That  Clayton  Delaney  Died

I’m  So  Lonesome  I  Could  Cry

Hard  Luck  Woman

Stagger  Lee

Don’t  Be  Angry

Honky  Tonk

Fortunete  Son, Up  Around The Bend,  Take a Letter Maria, Slow  Down  and  Willie  and  The  Hand  Jive

Dim  Lights  Thick  Smoke  and  Loud  Loud  Music

 

Brandy – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027

Sundown – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027

Charmer – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027

Suspicous Minds – ( Whole Song ) – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027 

Love  is  on  The  Line

Behind  Closed  Doors

Waterfall – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027

True  Love  Ways

If  You  Wanna  Get  To  Heaven

Taken  Care  Of  Business

Poor  Boy

Dancin’ in the Moonlight – Strawhouse  CD – Peak Records 16027

That’s  The  Way  Love  Goes

I  Can’t  Dance

Coming  Into  Los  Angeles

Bluesy World  –  Mr. Soul

Green River –  Suzy  Q  with Jam

 

 

 

Brandy – Best of & More  CD – Peak Records 16082

 

 

GROUP  TWO

This  Version  of  the Band  was  More  Rock  than  Country

Members

Bill  Jordan  on  Guitar  and  Vocals

Bill  Swanson  on  Keyboards  and  Vocals

Denny  Johnson  on  Bass  Guitar  and  Vocals

Lance  Dunkirk  on  Drums  and  Vocals

 

I  Can  Help

Lodi

Some  Kinda  Wonderful – Time  3:05  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

I Ain’t  Got  No  Home – Time  3:40  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Good  Times – Time  3:04  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Takin’  Care  of  Business – Time  4:49 Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Waterfall – Time  3:28  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Kung  Fu  Fighting – Time  4:42 Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

No  Sugar  Tonight  /  Mother  Natures  Son – Time  4:53 Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Loving  Arms

Straight  Shootin’  Woman – Time  3:00  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

Let  It  Ride

Tell  Mama

Changes – Time  8:01  Group TWO CD – Peak Records 16032

 

 

 

Bandtree

Winterwood                                                        BAND  TREE     

 

Winterwood  1973  to  1976

  _________________________________________________________

Bill  Jordan          Lead  Guitar  /   Vocals           1973  to  1975

 

The  Family  Band

Katormen

The  Blue  Lights

Jokers  Wild

Bonanza  House  Band

Chill  Hillman  Band

Georganne  Thorne  Band

Night  Train

West

Winterwood

Pony

The  Carolee  Band

Club  49  House  Band

Honky  Tonk  Hearts

Second  Generation

Swingin’  Country

________________________________________________________________

John  Thompson           Rhythm  Guitar  /  Vocals           1973  to  1974

 

Winterwood

Big  John  with  J & B

Gold  Dust

Pecos

Sunrise

JT  Silverstar

Thompson  &  Tolson

Honky  Tonk  Angels

________________________________________________________________

Gary  “Lumpy”  Erickson        Drummer  /  Vocals             1973  to  1974

 

The  Showmen

Hour  Glass

West

Winterwood

Big  John  with  J & B

________________________________________________________________

Denny  Johnson            Bass  Guitar  /  Vocals          1973  to  1975

 

Jokers  Wild

Flash  Tuesday

Mojo  Buford  Band

Lexy  Johnson  Band

Bazooka

Carrion

Bullet

Christopher

Cookiefoot

Denny  Johnson  Group

Winterwood

Gold  Dust

Pecos

Sunrise

Grand  Avenue

Crow  featuring  Dave  Wagner

JT  Silverstar

Jynx

The  Bowery  Boys

The  Dick  Tracy  Band

_______________________________________________________________

Bill  Swanson             Keyboards  /  Guitar  /  Vocals            1974  to  1975

 

Loverings

Dick  Roby  & The Castaways

The Society

Bar  Sinister

High  Spirits

Treadwood

Bullet

Christopher

Cookiefoot

Traktor

Winterwood

Pony

Chill  Hillman  Band

The  Phase

Groove  Cats

The  Checkers

Inside  Straight

________________________________________________________________

Lance  Dunkirk          Drummer  /  Vocals           1974  to  1975

 

Bobby  and  The  Shy  Guys

The  Starliners

Winterwood

Pecos

_________________________________________________________

Where are they now?<

Winterwood                                Where  Are  They  Now  ?     

 

Winterwood  1973 – 1976                                              

 ________________________________________________________

Bill  Jordan                            Lead  Guitar  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                 YES

Doing  What  ?……….    Jobbing  in  Minnesota

_________________________________________________________ 

John  “Big  John”  Thompson            Rhythm  Guitar  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                                           YES

Doing  What  ?……………………..   Playing  with  The  Honky  Tonk  Angels

 ________________________________________________________

Gary  “Lumpy”  Erickson                    Drums  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                                        No

Doing  What  ?…………………….   Living  in  Minnesota

 ________________________________________________________

Denny  Johnson                                      Bass  Guitar  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                                      Yes

Doing  What  ?……… Studio  Session  Work  –  Re-Mastering  and   Band  History

 ________________________________________________________

Bill  Swanson                                              Keyboards  /   Guitar  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                                       Yes

Doing  What  ?……………………. Playing  with  Inside  Straight

________________________________________________________________

Lance  Dunkirk                                        Drums  /  Vocals

Active  in  Music                                       No

Doing  What  ?……………………. Living  in  Colorado

_________________________________________________________

Interview

(interview here)