Jesse Winchester ‎– Let The Rough Side Drag 1976 Country Rock (vinyl)

Jesse Winchester
Winchester in 2011
Background information
Birth name	James Ridout Winchester
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	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-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, where he began his career as a solo artist. His highest-charting recordings were of his own songs, "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.^[1]

Winchester was best known as a songwriter. His works were recorded by many notable artists, including Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, the Everly Brothers andEmmylou Harris.^[2][3] A number of these recordings have had success on various charts.^[4]

Biography

Early life

Born at Barksdale Army Air Field near Bossier City, Louisiana, Winchester was raised in northern Mississippiand the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Jesse (known as "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.^[5] "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 magazine in 1977.^[6]

Winchester had begun playing guitar in bands while still in high school. He had 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, which he performed as a solo artist at the Montreal Folk Workshop and at coffeehouses 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.^[7]

Career

Winchester released several albums during the 1970s. Because of 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".^[5] These and others have been recorded by numerous artists.

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 expat 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 album Learn to Love It at Studio Six. Smith, Davis and McDade later were original members of theAmazing Rhythm Aces.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Winchester's first appearance in the U.S. was a sold-out performance in Burlington, Vermont, on April 21, 1977. Rolling Stone covered the event, describing Winchester as "the greatest voice of the decade".^{[citation needed]}

"I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl", written by Winchester, was 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. Winchester's version is on his album Love Filling Station.^{[citation needed]}

Later career

Winchester was nominated for the Best Country Male Vocalist award at the Juno Awards of 1990. In 2002, he moved back to the United States, settling inVirginia. 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 Wire.^[8] He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2007.^[9] Winchester continued to record and perform throughout the United States and Canada, releasing his tenth studio album, Love Filling Station, in 2009.^[10]

In 2011, Winchester was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and underwent treatment for the next couple of months. He was later given a clean bill of health from his doctor and resumed his tour.^[11] 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.^[12] He died on the morning of April 11, 2014, at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia, aged 69, from bladder cancer.

Winchester’s final CD, A Reasonable Amount of Trouble, was released in September 2014, with liner notes by 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.