LifeNotes: Jesse Winchester

Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, known for the songs “Yankee Lady” (1970), “Say What” (1981) and “Isn’t That So” (1973), died Friday (April 11) after a fight with cancer. He was 69.
The Louisiana native’s songs, including “Mississippi  You’re On My Mind,” “A Showman’s Life” and others, have been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers, George Strait, Gary Allan, Buddy Miller and others. Winchester released more than a dozen albums between 1970 and 2009.
Winchester grew up in Mississippi and Tennessee, but spent most of his life in Canada, where he moved while still a teenager to avoid being drafted into war. He spent the last decade of his life a resident of Virginia. In 1990, he was nominated for Best Country Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards. He earned ASCAP’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
In 2011, he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. As Winchester recovered from surgery, Jimmy Buffett led a team of artists in recording a collection of Winchester’s songs as a tribute album, titled Quiet About It. The project features performances from James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, and others.
Winchester’s cancer went into remission, and he returned to performing. He even recorded the project A Reasonable Amount of Trouble (with Mac McAnally as producer). His cancer returned in February 2014.
He is survived by wife Cindy Winchester.