Jesse Winchester at the me&thee

On Friday, March 30, the  me&thee welcomes JesseWinchester to our stage. You could stock a crowd-pleasing jukebox with the songs Jesse Winchester has written and recorded in the last four decades – and with the better-known versions of his songs that have become hits and album staples for artists ranging from Joan Baez to Elvis Costello to Jimmy Buffett. Rj Cowdery opens the show.  Musician Joe Crookson says that  “There is no possible way to listen to her music and not feel deeply.”  Doors open at 7:30 PM for this 8:00 PM show at the me&thee coffeehouse which is located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street.

If you listen to many of the songs Jesse Winchester has written in his professional career, now nearing four decades, you’ll hear most of the elements of what’s become known as “Americana” – detailed, empathetic stories of everyday people set to music incorporating folk, country, bluegrass, blues and gospel instrumentation. How ironic, then, that a musician with such a strong sense of personal and musical roots should make the life changing decision to leave his Memphis home in 1967 and resettle in Canada in defiance of his draft notice, a.k.a. an invitation to fight in Vietnam. Born on the air force base – another irony – in Bossier City, La., where his father was stationed, Jesse was mostly raised in Memphis. When Jesse received his draft notice upon graduation from Wiliams College, he bought a one-way ticket to Montreal and flew north with his guitar and a few hundred dollars. After a few years of playing piano in Canadian bars and teaching himself to write songs, Jesse met Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and main writer for The Band, the legendary quintet of former Dylan backing musicians, “through a friend of a friend.” Robertson produced Jesse’s self-titled debut album, enlisting fellow Band-mate Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and whiz-kid musician Todd Rundgren as engineer. That first album was released with the most low-key packaging possible – no lyrics and a gatefold cover with the same photo ofJesse on all four panels, resembling a 19th Century “Wanted Dead or Alive” poster. Fortunately, Jesse’s songs spoke for themselves. That first album included reputation-building original compositions like the homesick “Yankee Lady” (covered by Tim Hardin, Brewer & Shipley, and Matthews’ Southern Comfort”), “Biloxi” (Jimmy Buffett, Tom Rush, Ted Hawkins), “Brand New Tennessee Waltz” (The Everly Brothers, Patti Page, Ronnie Hawkins) and the rollicking “Payday” (Elvis Costello, Alex Taylor). Although his inability to tour the US hampered his career until President Carter declared amnesty for draft defiers in 1977,Winchester remained based in Canada, writing and recording great songs that solidified his critical acclaim While Winchester has maintained an active touring schedule during much of his career, his return to the recording studio to cut Love Filling Station after a nine-year absence was inspired by that most romantic of reasons: “My wife kept bugging me.”

Always a late bloomer, in a time when most folks are thinking about retirement, Ohio native Rj Cowdery found the nerve to change her life. After years of working in health care and writing on the side, she decided to focus more on making music her career. Rj’s been making up for lost time ever since, racking up major songwriting awards and impressing fans with her performances at venues across the country. Her 2011 release In This Light is a collection of 11 intimate songs that highlight the warm resonance of Rj’s voice. This vocal and acoustic guitar-driven album illustrates how Rj draws you in deeper with each song…like a secret that you’ve just been given privy to.”