George Winston Transcriptions

Biography of George Winston

George Winston was an American pianist whose warm, melodic, and evocative style—which he called "rural folk piano"—came to define solo instrumental music for a generation, making him a cornerstone of the Windham Hill label, despite his rejection of the "new age" classification. His breakthrough, seasonally themed albums—particularly Autumn (1980) and the triple-platinum December (1982)—were massive commercial successes, selling over 15 million albums total and earning him a Grammy Award for 1994's Forest. While best known for this melodic style, his greatest personal passion was for New Orleans rhythm & blues and stride piano, influences he showcased in his live performances and on his own Dancing Cat Records label, which he founded to promote Hawaiian slack-key guitar.