KURT FRANK WINTER
"A Musical Legend"
April 2, 1946 - December 14, 1997
Kurt Frank Winter, age 51 years, loving
husband of Vikki, passed away on December
14, 1997. Predeceased by his mother
Sally, father Frank, and eighteen year old
dog, "Toot".
Kurt was born in Winnipeg on April 2,
1946. He attended Daniel MacIntyre
High School.
Kurt started playing guitar at age 12 and
his idols were Jimmy Hendrix, Frank Zappa,
The Beatles and Cream. He played in
bands such as The Flares, The Ramrods, The
Cavaliers, The Syndicate, Sons and Lovers,
Gettysburg Address, The Fifth, Bubbles,
Papa Pluto, Brother and was the lead
guitarist for The Guess Who. Kurt
had just recently received a Socan Award
in Toronto for co-writing the song "Clap
for the Wolfman". He has made an
impression on Winnipeg's music scene, a
legacy that will never be forgotten.
Kurt brightened each day with his sense of
humour that was the most innovative and
colourful. You could always expect
the unexpected with Kurt, especially if
you were in the Smoke Shack with a
Standard beer.
We were all touched and in some ways
changed by just knowing Kurt. He
ensured that his life was fulfilled with
family and friends that shared the same
values he had for honesty, compassion and
generosity.
He leaves to mourn his wife Vikki, best
friend and companion; his dog Piggy and
many, many friends, relatives and
acquaintances throughout his entire
musical career, to numerous to mention.
Cremation has taken place and there will
be a Memorial Service on Monday, December
22 at 7:00 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel,
1442 Main Street at Luxton Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, donation may be made
to the Kurt Winter Memorial Fund, in care
of the Winnipeg Foundation, 301-161
Portage Avenue East. The memorial
fund has been established to provide a
bursary each year for a student from
Kurt's former school, Daniel MacIntyre, to
attend university, based on academic
proficiency and financial need.
Cropo Funeral Chapel in care of
arrangements.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press
on December 20, 1997
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Photo by David M. Perich |
Photo by David M. Perich
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“Don’t give me no hand me down
world.” On June 4 1970, Winnipeg guitarist
and songwriter Kurt Winter joined the #1
band in the world, the Guess Who. One
month later he was playing at the White
House at the invitation of President
Nixon’s daughter Trisha at a private
reception for Prince Charles and Princess
Anne. His song Hand Me Down World was
already rocketing up the pop charts. Kurt
would go on to play the biggest stadiums
and concert halls across North America,
Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Yet,
despite his immense fame, Kurt Winter
never lost the common touch. “You’d write
a tune and in a month it would go damn
near to number one worldwide. I haven’t
got that much talent!” he marveled humbly
on his instant elevation to the rock ‘n’
roll stratosphere.
Born on April 2, 1946 to Frank and Sally
Winter, Kurt grew up in Winnipeg’s West
End where he attended Daniel MacIntyre
High School. At the age of twelve he was
smitten with the guitar and soon found his
lifelong calling. A gifted lead guitarist,
Kurt served his apprenticeship in a number
of local bands including The Flares, The
Ramrods, The Cavaliers, The Syndicate, and
Sons and Lovers before forming the
Gettysbyrg Address with future Guess Who
bass player Bill Wallace in late1966.
Within a matter of months the Gettysbyrg
Address became one of the top bands in the
city and recorded three singles on the
local Franklin label. But by 1968 Kurt was
chafing at simple pop music and sought to
emulate his heroes Frank Zappa and Jimi
Hendrix. After a short stint with The
Fifth, in early 1970 Kurt, Bill Wallace
and Vance Masters formed what is regarded
as Winnipeg’s first supergroup, Brother.
Boasting all-original material Brother’s
shows were stunning and quickly caught the
eye of Guess Who singer Burton Cummings.
“Brother were the best live band I ever
saw in this city,” Cummings insists. On
May 16, 1970 with their song
million-selling American Woman single #1
worldwide, guitarist Randy Bachman
abruptly quit the Guess Who and Kurt
along, with guitarist Greg Leskiw, was
invited to join the group. He accepted two
weeks later and shouldered the unenviable
task of stepping into an immensely popular
group already at the top and managed to
maintain that level of success over the
next four years.
Coming onboard with a backlog of songs,
the Guess Who recorded Kurt’s Brother
compositions Hand Me Down World along with
Bus Rider, Do You Miss Me Darlin’ and Rock
& Roller Steam. He began a successful
collaboration with Burton Cummings that
yielded further hits with Hang On To Your
Life, Broken, Rain Dance, Heartbroken
Bopper, Runnin’ Back To Saskatoon, Follow
Your Daughter Home, Guns Guns Guns, and
Clap For The Wolfman. “Kurt and I became
instant friends,” notes Cummings, “and we
wrote together because it was fun. Kurt
and I would party and write songs.” By the
end of 1970 the Guess Who had earned over
$5 million from record sales and concerts
making them the most successful Canadian
band up to that point. With his first
flush of money, Kurt bought a modest home
on Chevrier Boulevard in Fort Garry,
pictured on the back cover of the Guess
Who album So Long Bannatyne, where he
resided until his death in 1997.
Despite the dozens of gold records,
recording sessions in Hollywood, TV
appearances on The Midnight Special and
world tours, Kurt never embraced the rock
star lifestyle, a fact that endeared him
to his loyal legion of fans who even took
to dressing like their hero in Garnet
Amplifier sweatshirts and striped slacks
and calling out to him at concerts across
North America. On his first Guess Who tour
Kurt wore the same clothes night after
night. “I didn’t have any other clothes,”
he admitted. “I didn’t even own a
suitcase.” Kurt always boasted that his
biggest extravagance was the purchase of a
vintage white Cadillac. In all others
areas of life, Kurt retained his amiable
down home no-frills charm. A self-styled
‘meat and potatoes guitarist’, his guitar
solos were highly regarded by other
players in the rock music field and Kurt
was honoured with induction into the
Playboy top guitarists poll for his
searing slide guitar work on Star Baby.
Among the Guess Who entourage, Kurt was
famous for his card playing and would
while away the long hours on plane trips
or in hotels in marathon games of poker or
blackjack.
Kurt was featured on a number of Guess Who
albums including Share The Land, The Best
of The Guess Who, So Long Bannatyne,
Rockin’, Live At The Paramount, Artificial
Paradise, #10, The Best of The Guess Who
Vol. 2, and Road Food before exiting the
band in June of 1974 as Clap For The
Wolfman was climbing the charts. Citing
exhaustion from the rigours of the road,
Kurt spent several months either relaxing
at home or golfing, but was lured back
into the music world by friends Vance
Masters and Duncan Wilson who, with Kurt
and other local players, formed Bubbles
then Papa Pluto featuring many of Kurt’s
own songs. In 1977, former Guess Who
members Jim Kale and Don McDougall
resurrected the Guess Who name and invited
Kurt to join them along with Vance Masters
and Dave Inglis. Kurt remained for a year
and a half contributing his songs and
unique guitar style to two albums, Guess
Who’s Back and All This For A Song. Facing
the task of going out on the road, Kurt
opted to step aside. “I just wanted to
have fun and make a little money,” he
insisted. “I didn’t want to take it too
seriously so I just hung up my skates.”
Royalties from his many Guess Who
recordings provided Kurt and his wife
Vikki with a modest income, enough to keep
him, as he often said, in cigarettes and
beer. Attempts by Burton Cummings to
revive their successful songwriting
partnership in the 1980s were rebuffed as
Kurt continued to enjoy his retirement in
the company of family and friends. He
appeared onstage in June of 1987 at the
Shakin’ All Over: Winnipeg Bands and Fans
Reunion alongside Cummings, Bachman and
ex-Winnipegger Neil Young and for the last
time in February of 1994 reunited with the
other Brother members for a brief yet
well-received set.
Kurt Winter’s legacy lives on in the
timeless music he created. Guess Who
recordings continue to sell worldwide and
his brilliant guitar work and knack for
crafting a hit song is still appreciated
and emulated by young musicians
everywhere. The reunited Guess Who pay
tribute to their former band mate each
night at their concerts. The bar at the
Pembina Hotel in Fort Garry, a popular
spot for Kurt in later years, dedicated a
memorial to him after his death. His
favourite Gibson guitar and sleeveless
Garnet sweatshirt are enshrined on the
wall. The Kurt Winter Memorial Fund was
set up at Daniel MacIntyre to provide a
bursary to a deserving student from Kurt’s
former school to attend university.
Reflecting on his time at the top of the
rock ‘n’ roll pantheon, the always
self-effacing musician mused, “I wouldn’t
trade it for anything. You were getting
paid real good money and traveling around
the world for doing something you actually
liked to do. So I can’t complain".
John Einarson 2012
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Kurt's
last performance - February 12, 1994 at
the Get Back! The Evolution of Winnipeg
Rock concert for
the benefit of the Museum of Man and
Nature's rock 'n' roll exhibit.
Photo credit:
Bill Wallace
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