He was a great singer. I loved his song about the yahkee lady, and then there is the one by him about having his feet in Dixie and his head in the clear bolue north. Loved his singing. From: msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2014 1:55 PM To: msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [msb-alumni] Singer Songwriter Jessie Winchester Dies at 69 Singer/songwriter Jesse Winchester dies By Brian Mansfield Special for USA TODAY Singer/songwriter Jesse Winchester died at his Charlottesville, Va., home Friday morning. Winchester, who had been suffering from esophageal cancer, was 69. "Friends, our sweet Jesse died peacefully in his sleep this morning," said the message posted to Winchester's Facebook page. "Bless his loving heart. A native of Shreveport, La., Winchester moved to Canada in 1967 to protest the Vietnam War draft. He continued to live there for many years after President Carter granted unconditional pardons to those who had left the country to avoid the draft. Winchester's music blended folk, country and blues, and he had his biggest hit as a recording artist in 1981 with Say What. His songs - the best-known of which included "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz," "Biloxi" and "Mississippi, You're on My Mind" - were covered by the Everly Brothers, Joan Baez, Jimmy Buffett, Patti Page, Nicolette Larson and others. The Weather Girls had a minor R&B hit with Winchester's "Well-A-Wiggy" in 1985. Michael Martin Murphey took his I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl to the top five of the country charts in 1988. One of his most famous songs, "A Showman's Life," has been recorded by several artists, including George Strait, Gary Allan and Buddy Miller. It also was featured on a recent episode of the ABC series "Nashville. Last fall, artists including James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Elvis Costello and Vince Gill recorded his songs for a tribute album called "Quiet About It. Before his death, he had completed an album, "A Reasonable Amount of Trouble," with producer Mac McAnally. That album is expected to be released later this year. Incorrect reports of Winchester's death began circulating earlier in the week, prompting his son to refute the rumors on Facebook.