George Winston was a pianist known for his solo instrumental recordings, such as “Autumn” and “December.”
- Died: June 4, 2023 (Who else died on June 4?)
- Details of death: Died of cancer at the age of 73.
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George Winston’s legacy
Winston came to prominence in 1980 with the release of his second album, “Autumn,” one of the earliest successes for Windham Hill Records. It was embraced by new age and jazz audiences, who would also propel his fourth album, 1982’s “December,” to the top five of their respective charts. “December” crossed over to mainstream success, spending more than two years on the Billboard 200 album chart and becoming a holiday classic.
Winston won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best New Age Album for “Forest,” his sixth album. His next release was the first of two tributes to one of the pianists who had inspired him: “Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi.” The second followed in 2010, “Love Will Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2.” Another musical tribute by Winston was 2002’s “Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors,” honoring another of his musical influences.
Though Winston’s music is often thought of as new age – and eight of his albums rose to No. 1 on the new age chart – he didn’t like the term. He preferred to call his dreamy style “rural folk piano.” Winston also played harmonica and guitar, which can be heard on several of his releases.
Notable quote
“When I’m interpreting a song, I’m, of course, loving what the original composer did, but I’m also converting it into a solo piano piece. So, what does the piano want? What do I want? All three things have to come together.” —from a 2017 interview for Seven Days
Tributes to George Winston
Full obituary: The Chicago Tribune
