We received the sad, sad news over the weekend that the great singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester passed away last Friday after a valiant fight against esophageal cancer.  Winchester was a songwriter’s songwriter (lauded by Bob Dylan, Janis Ian and the who’s-who of songwriting) wrote some of the best songs of our day (Yankee Lady, The Brand New Tennessee Waltz, Mississippi, You’re on My Mind, A Showman’s Life, and Biloxi, amongst them, each covered by many an artist).  But Winchester could also deliver those seminal songs with understated grace and nuance.  He will be sorely missed.  One of the earliest vignettes we put up on these pages (in April 2010) was an homage to Winchester’s beautiful, dehydrating delivery of his love song Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding on Elvis Costello’s much-lamented Spectacle show.  Check it out below.  And now pardon us while we join Neko Case in honoring Jesse Winchester.  We’ll see you on the other side Jesse.

Photo:  Mac McAnally