Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester | |
|---|---|
 Winchester in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Ridout Winchester Jr. |
| Born | May 17, 1944 Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 2014 (aged 69) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | Circa 1961 – 2014 (his death) |
| Labels |
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| Website | jessewinchester |
James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester Jr. (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid the draft. During that time, he began his career as a solo artist. His highest-charting recordings were "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 settled in Memphis, Tennessee in 2002.[1]
Winchester's songs were recorded by Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Brewer & Shipley, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, Anne Murray, The Weather Girls, Reba McEntire, the Everly Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, George Strait, Gary Allan, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Warnes, The Mavericks, Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Stanley.[2][3] Some of these recordings achieved chart positions.[4]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Winchester was one of three children born to James Ridout Winchester Sr. (1917–1962) and Frances Ellyn Manire Winchester (1920–2010). He was born at Barksdale Army Air Field, near Bossier City, Louisiana, and raised in northern Mississippi through age 12, when his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.[5] He graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis in 1962 as a merit finalist, a National Honor Society member and the salutatorian of his class. He graduated from Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1966. Upon receiving his draft notice the following year, Winchester moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to avoid the draft.[6]
Winchester began his career in Germany. Upon arriving in Quebec in 1967, he joined a local band, Les Astronautes. He began writing songs, which he performed as a solo artist at the Montreal Folk Workshop and at coffeehouses throughout eastern Canad. Discovered by the Band's Robbie Robertson, Winchester released his album Jesse Winchester, produced by Robertson. He toured Canada, opening for the Band.[7][8]
Career
[edit]Winchester released albums in the 1970s, but was unable to support the albums by touring in the U.S. because of his status of being a draft dodger.[7][8]
A prolific songwriter, Winchester's songs include "Yankee Lady", "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz", "Mississippi, You're on My Mind", "A Showman's Life","Biloxi", "That's a Touch I Like", and "Every Word You Say".[6]
Upon his election in 1976, President Jimmy Carter granted amnesty to draft evaders, except those who had become citizens of other countries. Although Winchester had become a Canadian citizen, Barry Bozeman, his manager, convinced Carter to allow Winchester amnesty.[9]
On June 10, Winchester appeared with Little Feat, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt on Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special.[10]
In 1981, he had his first Top 40 U.S. hit single, "Say What", which earned No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was from his Bearsville Records album release, "Talk Memphis".[citation needed]
"I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl", written by Winchester, was recorded by Michael Martin Murphey and released in October 1987 as the lead single from the album River of Time. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Hot Country SNo. chart and at No. 4 on the Canadian RPM Ce Filling Station.[citation needed]
Later career
[edit]Winchester was nominated for the Best Country Male Vocalist award at the Juno Awards of 1990. In 2002, he moved back to Memphis with his girlfriend, Cindy. That year, his song "Step by Step", from the album Let the Rough Side Drag, was used as background music for the montage that ended the first season of the television program The Wire.[11] He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2007.[12] Winchester continued to record and perform throughout the U.S. and Canada, releasing his 10th studio album, Love Filling Station, in 2009.[13]
On April 11, 2014, Winchester died from bladder cancer in his sleep at his home. He was 69 years old.[14] He was survived by his wife, Cindy, and three children from a previous marriage, James, Alice and Marcus Lee.[15][16][17]
Quiet About It, a tribute record to Winchester, was released in 2012, featuring 11 artists, including James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash and Jimmy Buffett.[18]
Winchester's final CD, A Reasonable Amount of Trouble, was released in September 2014, with liner notes by Jimmy Buffett. It was nominated for two Grammy awards.[19]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| 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
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | US | |||
| 1970 | "Yankee Lady" | 20 | 8 | — | — | Jesse Winchester |
| 1970 | "Quiet About It" / "Biloxi" | — | — | — | — | Jesse Winchester |
| 1973 | "Isn't That So" | 34 | 21 | — | — | Third Down, 110 to Go |
| 1974 | "L'air De La Louisiane" / "Laisse Les Bons" | — | — | — | — | Learn To Love It |
| 1974 | "Third Rate Romance" / "Mississippi, You're On My Mind" | — | — | — | — | Learn To Love It |
| 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" | 81 | — | 50 | — | Humour Me |
| "Well-a-Wiggy" | — | — | 68 | — | ||
Appearances
[edit]| Year | Album | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot | "Sundown" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Jesse Winchester: Still Doing the Rhumba". TheSpec.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "Jesse Winchester profile". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "CANOE – JAM! Music – Pop Encyclopedia – Winchester, Jesse". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Jesse Winchester profile". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "Crossroads to Freedom Interview : Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee" (PDF). Jessewinchester.com. November 19, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Jesse Winchester dies of cancer". Toronto Star, 14 April 2014, E2.
- ^ a b "Jesse Winchester". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. April 14, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Profile, discogs.com; accessed November 19, 2015.
- ^ Green, Susan (19 April 2014). "Winchester's imprint 'in the hills of old Vermont'". Burlington Free Press. USA Today Network. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ^ ""The Midnight Special" Episode #5.23 (TV Episode 1977)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ "Saying goodbye to The Wire over and over again Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, gawker.com; accessed November 29, 2015.
- ^ "Jesse Winchester". Appleseedmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "Jesse Winchester - Love Filling Station (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "Jesse Winchester's Studio". Jessewinchester.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-01. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ Tearson, Michael (April 11, 2014). "Jesse Winchester Passes". Sing Out!. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ^ Mehr, Bob (April 11, 2014). "Memphis-bred songwriter Jesse Winchester dies". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ^ Browne, David (April 11) "Jesse Winchester Dead at 69, Singer-Songwriter Became Anti-War Icon" Rolling Stone (New York), April 11, 2014.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Quiet About It: A Tribute To Jesse Winchester Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
- ^ "Jesse Winchester's chilling dissertation on dying", rollingstone.com; accessed November 19, 2015.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Jesse Winchester at IMDb
- Jesse Winchester Archived 2011-08-11 at the Wayback Machine at Appleseed Recordings
- radio interview at WRN
- HOTSEAT- Southern gent? Folk legend moves to town
- Fame & Fortune: Jesse Winchester
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1944 births
- 2014 deaths
- Canadian male singer-songwriters
- Canadian folk singers
- Canadian country singer-songwriters
- Deaths from bladder cancer in the United States
- Vietnam War draft evaders
- Williams College alumni
- Singers from Louisiana
- Singers from Mississippi
- People from Bossier City, Louisiana
- Attic Records (Canada) artists
- Deaths from cancer in Virginia
- American expatriate musicians in Canada
- 20th-century Canadian male singers
- 20th-century American musicians
- Bearsville Records artists
- Stony Plain Records artists
- 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters
- Naturalized citizens of Canada