While probably best known as the most famous musician draft dodger, Jesse Winchester created at least one stone cold singer-songwriter classic - his now 40 year old (!) self-titled debut, which includes such enduring AAA evergreens like "Biloxi", "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz" and the stately "Yankee Lady". It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Winchester's 70's output provided the template for Lyle Lovett's early success. His 1970 album also included "Snow", which perfectly sums up my cantankerous feelings about the current weather situation currently plaguing the Northeast.
But the reason I'm writing today is a more recent vintage Winchester tune, "Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding", first encountered via a Youtube video at my friend Pat's insistence about a month ago over beers at my favorite record store, Main Street Music in Manayunk. It's a sweetly evocative story song that's as well constructed and every bit as sentimental as Carl and Ellie's heart-tugging romance mosaic at the beginning of last year's Pixar smash Up. I think Neko Case would agree.
Jesse Winchester - Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding
Jesse Winchester - Snow