Today is the birthday of the great Fred Winston. I still check in with Fred occasionally. He's such a delight to talk to. The last time I interviewed him was for the Illinois Entertainer back in 2018. Here's an excerpt...
His baritone voice sounds as strong as ever, exactly like Fred Winston has sounded since he arrived in Chicago in 1971. “It still comes out of the same hole,” he points out.
Does the “R” word now apply to Fred?“ I guess I am retired,” he admits, “although I don’t feel like it’s done. I’m always reticent to say that I’m done now because I do feel like I could drop back behind the mic and with a little DW40 in the mouth, I could pick up where I left off. But I’m busier than ever these days. I have a small farm here that has enough crap going on to keep me busy every day. I’m in Berrien County which is the highest point of elevation in this region, so if it farts on Lake Michigan, I get it here. We’re currently in the throes of a major blizzard. We’ll have an additional two feet of snow in the next three days. The frustrating thing about being a gentleman farmer, as you call me, are the many tiny engines that need spark plugs and oil changes. Rather than flap my mouth, I now bang my knuckles.”
Does he miss radio at all? “I don’t really miss radio the way it was (is) when I last did it. We were told that’s the way the business has evolved. People just don’t want to hear you speak for more than eight seconds. It’s not about you. It’s about the music, man. ‘Hey, I dug that break about the Doobies, man.’ I thought ‘Aw shit, what have I gotten myself into?’”
