George Winston  8/10/1990
Royce Hall UCLA, Orchestra, Row 31, Seat 12, 14

Thirty-two years after the release of his first album, and 24 years after he began to record what is now recognized as his signature style of melodic folk piano, one of the hardest working people in music insists he’s only scratched the surface. But with a relentless tour schedule that includes more than 110 concerts a year, George Winston has arguably dug deep and wide into the hearts and minds of audiences from Klamath Falls, Oregon to Osaka, Japan and beyond.

With the release of his tenth solo piano album, MONTANA - A LOVE STORY, George has come full circle with the rich themes of the childhood years he spent in Montana, combining the three distinct influential elements of the changing of the seasons, different topographies, and sociological influences into a single work that evokes a familiar image.

Originally conceived as a sequel to his 1999 album PLAINS, which paid homage to his Eastern Montana upbringing, MONTANA - A LOVE STORY continues the thread begun with his 1994 Grammy-winning album FOREST, which evoked the Western part of the state, and represents a marriage of the distinct landscapes and the pronounced seasonal changes of both sides of his home state. The album features five original songs – including High Plains Lullaby and The Mountain Winds Call Your Name, as well as interpretations of pieces by composers Philip Aaberg (Nevertheless, Hello), Mark Isham (Thumbelina), Frank Zappa (The Little House I Used to Live In), Sam Cooke (You Send Me), and others.

George has recorded nine other solo piano albums under the Windham Hill/Dancing Cat label: NIGHT DIVIDES THE DAY – THE MUSIC OF THE DOORS (2002), PLAINS (1999), LINUS & LUCY - THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI (1996), FOREST (1994), SUMMER (1991) DECEMBER (1982), WINTER INTO SPRING (1982), AUTUMN (1980), and BALLADS & BLUES -1972 (1972).

In November 2001 George released REMEMBRANCE - A MEMORIAL BENEFIT, a 6-song CD of piano, guitar and harmonica solos. All the artist proceeds from this CD are being donated to benefit those affected by 9/11.

Recently George has also released the 20th Anniversary Editions of DECEMBER, WINTER INTO SPRING, and AUTUMN, his breakthrough album. Each of the anniversary editions has featured bonus tracks and printable sheet music.

George has also recorded solo piano and solo guitar soundtracks for THE VELVETEEN RABBIT (20th Anniversary edition, with solo piano accompanying narration by Meryl Streep), and SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES (solo guitar with narration by Liv Ullman).

In addition to concentrating on live performances, which are his primary medium, he is also currently working on R&B piano, studying the playing styles of the great New Orleans pianists Henry Butler, the late James Booker, and the late Professor Longhair, and working on interpreting pieces by his favorite composers, including Professor Longhair, Vince Guaraldi, the Doors, and many others.

Most of the time George is touring, playing solo piano concerts (the Summer Show or the Winter Show), solo guitar concerts, solo harmonica concerts or solo piano dances (with R&B and slow dance songs). George is driven by a deep-rooted realization that his craft is still evolving, and his sense that he must do his part to bring music to life, whether through live performance, musical interpretation of others’ works, or recording and production of both his own albums and those of others. Rarely in one location for more than two days consecutively, he draws inspiration from the people and places he encounters.

George Winston was born in 1949, and grew up mainly in Montana, and also spent his later formative years in Mississippi and Florida. During this time he listened mostly to pop and R&B instrumental music (the late Floyd Cramer, The Ventures, Booker T & the MGs, King Curtis and many others) as well as many R&B artists, such as Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. An avid radio listener, his favorite part of the programming format was the 30-second instrumental break before the hourly newscast.

Inspired by blues, rock, R&B and jazz, George began playing organ and electric piano in 1967. In 1971, after hearing records by the legendary stride pianists Thomas “Fats” Waller and the late Teddy Wilson, he switched to the acoustic piano. In addition to stride piano, at that time he began working on his own style of melodic instrumental music on solo piano, putting together songs of his own and arranging other pieces. In 1972 he recorded his first solo piano album BALLADS & BLUES -1972 for the late solo guitarist John Fahey’s Takoma label.

In 1985, George began recording and producing or co-producing albums featuring the distinctive music of the Hawaiian slack key guitar masters whose finger-picked guitar tradition began in the early 1800s and predated the steel guitar by more than 60 years. His Dancing Cat label’s Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters Series now includes 36 releases and has helped introduce slack key music to a global audience.