Late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is posthumously featured on a new song. It’s a cover of the 1970 Johnny Winter song “Guess I’ll Go Away,” performed by Hawkins with Winter’s brother Edgar and guitarist Doug Rappoport. Listen to the cover, featuring lead vocals by Hawkins, below.
“Guess I’ll Go Away” is featured on Edgar Winter’s new album Brother Johnny. In a note, signed by Winter and his wife Monique, the musician explained how he decided to recruit Hawkins for the cover. “[‘Guess I’ll Go Away’] stands out in my mind as the highest energy and hardest rocking song on the entire album,” he wrote.“ I have always considered it stylistically the most uncharacteristically advanced song Johnny ever wrote, almost a precursor of heavy metal.”
Winter continued:
Because of this unusual quality we wanted a younger, more energetic, modern approach to the vocal. Our engineer, mixer, and producer (Ross Hogarth) had worked extensively with Taylor and they were very close friends. When Ross suggested Taylor (being such a huge Foo Fighters fan) I said WOW—how perfect. and I know Doug will be absolutely thrilled.
I had only just met Taylor, and barely got to know him, but I was so impressed by his sincerity, positive energy, and pure enthusiasm. He had a unique spontaneous style different from anyone I’ve ever worked with before. I can be very opinionated—but as soon as heard what he was doing, I knew it was best to step back, stay out of the way, and let him do his thing. That session was an experience I will never forget.
When I tried to open a business discussion, he simply would not hear of it. He said—I don’t want ANYTHING for doing this, I just want’a get out there and Rock. And Rock HE DID! I don’t know if it was out of respect for Johnny, a desire to help me in what I was doing, compassion for the nature of the project, or his friendship with Ross. Most probably all these things—but whatever it was, he gave it His ALL!
The new Johnny Winter cover is the first posthumous release from Taylor Hawkins, who died in March at the age of 50. Hawkins had been on tour in South America with Foo Fighters at the time of his death. The band has since canceled all upcoming tour dates.
Earlier this month, Foo Fighters won Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards. Read “Remembering Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters’ Charismatic Drummer, in 5 Live Performances” on the Pitch.
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
