Number 1 With A Bullet: Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein”
Edgar Winter (R) With Kenny Wayne Sheppard, 2006 (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
One of Edgar Winter‘s Three Best Songs was also his only #1 song.
The creation of “Frankenstein” dates back to the early ’70s when Edgar Winter was a member of his brother Johnny’s band. At a certain point in Johnny’s live show, he’d bring Edgar from the shadows to perform an instrumental called “Double Drum Solo,” wherein Edgar would show off his chops on the keys, the sax and the drums.
When the time came for him to do his first band album, They Only Come Out At Night, producer and guitarist Rick Derringer explained, “he wanted to include the instrumental in the album.”
“At one point in the project, Edgar started to get a little nervous,” recounted Derringer. “‘Oh,’ Edgar said, ‘I don’t know, it’s a little too crazy. Is it gonna be too jazzy, too out of context for the rest of the album?’.”
Derringer and engineer Bill Szymczyk convinced Winter to put the song on the record. It’s not only one of his best, it was a #1 for Winter in May 1972.
Check out more songs that were “#1 with a Bullet.
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