Jesse Winchester

March 26, 2011

at the Spectator Auditorium

Jesse Winchester was raised in northern Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. He began playing guitar in bands while still a high school student, and also played in Germany during college study abroad. In 1967, he moved to Montreal, and joined a local band, the Astronautes. He also began writing songs that he performed as a solo artist in coffee houses throughout eastern Canada. In 1970, under the auspices of The Band's Robbie Robertson, Winchester began his recording career.

Since releasing his self-titled debut album in 1970, Jesse Winchester has quietly written a catalog of songs that has earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP). Along the way, he's recorded a series of albums that have influenced a generation of younger songwriters.

That influence was acknowledged during a recent taping of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With ..., the Bravo series that features Costello performing and having discussions with a wide variety of songwriters and musicians. That episode features Winchester performing his "Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding" while singer-songwriters Sheryl Crow, Neko Case and Ron Sexsmith listen.

Winchester's music is infused with folk, country and rock 'n' roll. He's had to a major country hit with the Mavericks' version of "O What a Thrill" (1994) and Michael Martin Murphey's "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" (1987). Many of his compositions have been popularized by other artists, include "Biloxi" (Jimmy Buffett), "Let's Make a Baby King" (Wynonna), "Mississippi, You're on My Mind" (Jerry Jeff Walker), "Brand New Tennessee Waltz" (Joan Baez) and "Rhumba Girl" (Nicolette Larson).