Jesse Winchester

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Jesse Winchester (ice hockey).

Jesse Winchester
Winchester in 2011
Background information
Birth name	James Ridout Winchester
Born	(1944-05-17)May 17, 1944 Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	April 11, 2014(2014-04-11) (aged 69) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Country, country rock, folk
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active	Circa 1961 – 2014 (his death)
Labels	Appleseed, Bearsville, Stony Plain, Ampex, Victor, Sugar Hill, Great Big Island, Wounded Bird, Blue Plate
Website	jessewinchester.com

James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967, where he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970 and "Say What" in 1981. He became a Canadian citizen in 1973, gained amnesty in the U.S. in 1977 and resettled there in 2002.

Winchester was probably best known as a songwriter, with his works being recorded by many notable artists, including Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers and Emmylou Harris. A number of these recordings have had success on various charts.

Biography

Early life

Born at Barksdale Army Air Field near Bossier City, Louisiana, Winchester was raised in northern Mississippi and the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Jesse (Jimmy in high school) received several honors while attending Christian Brothers High School. Graduating in 1962, he was a merit finalist, National Honor Society member and the salutatorian of the graduating class. He attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in 1966. Upon receiving his draft notice the following year, Winchester moved to Montreal, Canada, to avoid military service. "I was so offended by someone's coming up to me and presuming to tell me who I should kill and what my life was worth," he told Rolling Stone in 1977.

Winchester had begun playing guitar in bands while still a high school student. He also played in Germany during college study abroad and after graduation. Upon arriving in Quebec in 1967, he joined a local band, Les Astronautes. At this time, he also began writing songs that he performed as a solo artist at the Montreal Folk Workshop and numerous other coffee houses throughout eastern Canada, adding impetus to a revival in folk music that was taking place across Canada. Under the auspices of The Band's Robbie Robertson, another Canadian, Winchester began his recording career in 1970 with his self-titled album, released on the Ampex label.

Career

Winchester released several albums during the 1970s. Due to his status as a draft resister, he was unable to tour in the United States. As a result, he became recognized primarily as a songwriter. His best known songs include "Yankee Lady", "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz", "Mississippi, You're on My Mind", "A Showman's Life", and "Biloxi". These and others have been recorded by numerous artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, George Strait, Gary Allan, Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers, Wynona Judd, The Weather Girls, New Grass Revival, Fairport Convention, Tim Hardin, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Nicolette Larsen, Ted Hawkins, Ian Matthews, Colleen Peterson, Tom Rush, Brewer & Shipley, Raffi, Skydiggers and Wilson Pickett.

Winchester at the 2011 Blue Highways festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands

In 1974, Winchester often performed at the Hotel Le Chatelet in Morin Heights, Quebec, run by several Tennesseans who had come to Canada in 1972. David "Butch" McDade and Jeff "Stick" Davis moved to Quebec to become part of Jesse Winchester and the Rhythm Aces. Winchester was the first to record the songs "Third Rate Romance" and "The End is Not in Sight", both written by Russell Smith. Smith traveled to Montreal to assist in the recording of the Learn to Love It album at Studio Six. Later Smith, Davis and McDade became the original members of The Amazing Rhythm Aces.

Upon his election in 1976, President Jimmy Carter declared he would grant amnesty to draft evaders, except those who had deserted or had become citizens of another country. Winchester had by this time become a Canadian citizen, but Barry Bozeman, his manager at the time, was able to convince Carter on Winchester's behalf to broaden the amnesty.

Winchester's first appearance in the U.S. thereafter was a sold out performance in Burlington, Vermont, on April 21, 1977. Rolling Stone magazine covered the event coining the phrase "the Greatest Voice of the Decade" to describe Winchester's vocal style.

"I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" is a song written by Jesse Winchester, and recorded by American country music artist Michael Martin Murphey. It was released in October 1987 as the lead single from the album River of Time. The song peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and at number 4 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The version that Michael Martin Murphy recorded omits the somewhat sadder second part of the song. Jesse Winchester's version is on his album, "Love Filling Station".

Later career

He was nominated for the Best Country Male Vocalist award at the Juno Awards of 1990. In 2002, Winchester moved back to the United States, settling in Virginia. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2007. Winchester continued to record and perform throughout the United States and Canada, releasing his tenth studio album, Love Filling Station, in 2009.

In 2011, Winchester was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and underwent treatment for the next couple of months. Winchester was later given a clean bill of health from his doctor and resumed his tour.

Quiet About It, a tribute record to Winchester, was released in 2012, featuring James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams and Rosanne Cash.

In April 2014, it was revealed that Winchester was "gravely ill" and receiving hospice care at his home. He died on the morning of April 11, 2014, at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia from bladder cancer.

In September 2014, Winchester’s final CD, A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble was released, with liner notes from his friend Jimmy Buffett. Rolling Stone called it "a gentle collection of playful songs about love, memory and gratitude that amounts to one of the most moving, triumphant albums of Winchester's 45 year career."

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions
		CAN	US
1970	Jesse Winchester	26	—
1972	Third Down, 110 to Go	34	193
1974	Learn to Love It	—	—
1976	Let the Rough Side Drag	—	210
1977	Nothing But a Breeze	—	115
	Live at the Bijou Cafe	—	—
1978	A Touch on the Rainy Side	—	156
1981	Talk Memphis	—	188
1988	Humour Me	—	—
1989	The Best of Jesse Winchester	—	—
1999	Anthology	—	—
1999	Gentleman of Leisure	—	—
2001	Live From Mountain Stage	—	—
2005	Live	—	—
2009	Love Filling Station	—	—
2014	A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble	—	—

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions				Album
		CAN	CAN AC	CAN Country	US
1970	"Yankee Lady"	20	8	—	—	Jesse Winchester
1973	"Isn't That So"	34	21	—	—	Third Down, 110 to Go
1976	"Let the Rough Side Drag"	—	—	42	—	Let the Rough Side Drag
1977	"Nothing but a Breeze"	72	—	—	86	Nothing but a Breeze
1978	"Sassy"	—	45	—	—	A Touch on the Rainy Side
1979	"A Touch on the Rainy Side"	—	42	—	—
1981	"Say What"	23	13	—	32	Talk Memphis
1989	"Want to Mean Something to You"	—	—	50	—	Humour Me
	"Well-a-Wiggy"	—	—	68	—

Appearances

Year	Album	Song
2003	Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot	"Sundown"

External links

• www.jessewinchester.com — Official site
• Jesse Winchester at the Internet Movie Database
• Jesse Winchester at Appleseed Recordings
• radio interview at WRN
• HOTSEAT- Southern gent? Folk legend moves to town
• Fame & Fortune: Jesse Winchester