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Jesse Winchester
I went to the Belcourt in Nashville last night and saw Jesse Winchester for the first time. I was really impressed by his ease, and I've never heard a performer more cannily use the limitations of his voice. Which is pure Mississippi and Memphis, and he had that delicate gravity and that civilized irony that you find in Greenville and Brookhaven. He told a funny story about meeting the inspiration for 1970's "Yankee Lady" in New York with his current wife: "That was a delicate political situation. But I manged to make my way through, to the other side, which is why I'm here tonight with you." And: "The Lord can cast such a pall over a party. But he got his start in the miracle business turning water into wine, so he's always welcome at any party I attend." Stuff like that, all delivered in the most mellifluous and sneaky voice imaginable.
Anyway, he did familiar stuff I loved: "Mississippi You're on My Mind," "Talk Memphis," "Gentleman of Leisure." And newer songs from his last record--cut in Nashville in a neograss style that works perfectly. "It's a Shame About Him" is one sharp observation of the matriarchy you find in the Deep South. He was superb.
Is there anybody else out there remotely like him?
Anyway, he did familiar stuff I loved: "Mississippi You're on My Mind," "Talk Memphis," "Gentleman of Leisure." And newer songs from his last record--cut in Nashville in a neograss style that works perfectly. "It's a Shame About Him" is one sharp observation of the matriarchy you find in the Deep South. He was superb.
Is there anybody else out there remotely like him?
Tags: Jesse, Winchester
Views: 17
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brendan McCloud on
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I can't believe there is not more discussion about folks like Jesse and my other old favorites Brewer and Shipley.
The latter two covered some of Jesse's songs and that's how I become aware of him all long before there were even computers, let alone the net. Jesse's "Yankee Lady" still stands to me as one of the best songs ever written along with ' The Brand New Tennessee Waltz."
B and S's song "Black sky" is still one of the better alt-country songs ever written and "One toke Over the Line" still makes me laugh to this day. (I don't know how it ever got airplay back in the day.)
I think if Jesse had not been an expatriate of the war back then he would have been a country rock superstar. (Please, no intention of starting political discussions intended.)
A lot of contemporary alt-country, or what I still think of as country rock, was started by these kinds of folks. I'll also add who I consider the founding fathers; The Byrds with "Queen of the Stardust Rodeo, Commander Cody, my favorite song being "Willin'," Hot Tuna and Asleep at the Wheel. Having mentioned "Willin'" reminded me of Lowell George and Little Feat as well. "Dixie Chicken" is one of those that just stays in your head. I'll commit some heresy here and mention the Eagles (listen to their first album) and Jackson Brown since they made the genre, The Genre, for a while.
I'll add Emmy Lou as a founding mother as well, since she broke through a number of barriers and was pretty early on.
Lest I be considered living in the past, I'll just say I think there should be recognition that many contemporary folks in the genre would be forced to be either alt or country and not both if it weren't for the pioneers. They let us have some rock and country mixed and some alternative ideas that the country music scene would not abide back then.
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Permalink Reply by DublinBlues on
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Last time I Jesse was many years ago when he played a gig out in western Mass at at Tanglewood. He was on a bill with Emmylou, Jerry Jeff, and the the long forgotten Pousette- Dart Band.
he had an album out back then, that I can't remember, but one track was Rhumba Man, where Jesse did a pretty cool little shuffle on stage.
Being from the northeast, Jesse gave me a lifelong mantra:
"me I want to live with my feet in Dixie, and my head in the cool blue north."
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"Rumba Man" was a staple of my act for quite while back then and you could do some interesting shuffles to the beat. I loved the the line "If my mama catches us doin' the rumba, mama would just pitch a fit."
That last line you wrote was from a great song too. I think another line was "somewhere high in the mountains, down by the deep blue sea." Here in the Northwest we almost have that.
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I am mildly embarrassed to have to correct my reference to The Byrds album above as "Queen of the Stardust Rodeo" A great title but muddeled with "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom'
The actual title is of course "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." This came up in a google search for the album and I really don't want my accasional addled misnomers flying around the net...
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Permalink Reply by Teri on -
One of my favorite lines..."if you're skating on thin ice, then you might as well dance."
Worked in Girl Scout camps summers of '72 and '73 in CT and lived for my time off to go hear singer/songwriters.
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Permalink Reply by Will James on -
I just read this. Wow, I've been using that great line in conversation ever since his second album came out (third down and 110 to go, what's a poor rookie clown gonna do?).
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Permalink Reply by Will James on
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I saw Jesse back when his first Robbie-produced album was out and I was in love with it. Drove up with some buddies to a very cold Toronto, I believe shortly after he expatriated. I remember not having a very warm coat, and the U of T just wouldn't let us in. It was worth it, a young Jesse didn't sing a dud. Tuned in the Elvis Costello show recently and there's this older guy I don't recognize... until he sang Brand New Tennessee Waltz (there's one, how does a song get better than that?). Glad you got to see him.
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