Ron Dann - pedal steel
Marty Hayes - bass
Dave Lewis - drums
Bobby Cohen - lead guitar
Jesse Winchester - vocals, guitar, piano
The second show recorded on May 1, 1977 by Jesse Winchester and his band is further proof that his return to the American music scene was long overdue. Winchester and his musicians play with the same conviction and skill as the first show, though they did put in a considerably shorter set for the late show.
Winchester, who had been releasing records since 1970s, had been unable to promote and tour in the United States for an entire decade after he dodged the draft in 1967 and moved to Montreal. It took a complete amnesty and pardon from President Jimmy Carter to allow him to once again make music in the country to which he was born. This was the first tour since he had been allowed back in the US.
Winchester never saw the fame and commercial success of his contemporaries (among them, James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, and John Prine), but he did gain considerable notoriety as a cutting edge songwriter for established artists such as Emmylou Harris, Nicolette Larson, and Jimmy Buffett.
This show opens with the whimsical "Pay Day", followed by "Silly Heart," one of the rare true love songs from his catalog. Like another contemporary, Randy Newman, Winchester often wrote story songs with characters and tales of Americana, and "Tell Me Why Did You Like Roosevelt" and "Midnight Bus" are good examples of this.
Winchester and his band do an interesting country-bluegrass instrumental medley with "Indian Killed The Woodcock" and "The Sugarfoot Rag," before ending the set with a touching tribute to Country Music heroes Hank Williams and Lefty Frissell, "Hank And Left." Winchester continues to record and tour, releasing his last album in 2006.
