George Winston, the Grammy-winning pianist who blended jazz, classical, folk and other stylings on such million-selling albums as Autumn, Winter Into Spring and December, has died at age 73.
According to an announcement on his website, confirmed by a spokesman, Winston died Sunday after a 10-year battle with cancer.
“Throughout his cancer treatments, George continued to write and record new music, and he stayed true to his greatest passion: performing for live audiences while raising funds for Feeding America to help fight the national hunger crisis along with donating proceeds from each of his concerts to local food banks,” a statement on his website reads.
His most recent album, Night, came out last year.
Winston was a native of Hart, Michigan, who grew up in Montana, Florida and Mississippi and drew upon influences ranging from Fats Waller to The Doors. He released more than a dozen solo piano albums, along with soundtracks for the TV miniseries This Is America, Charlie Brown and The Velveteen Rabbit, which featured Meryl Streep’s narration of the children’s classic. His 1995 release Forest won a Grammy for best new age recording among nominations in his life — most recently, a best new age album nod for Montana: A Love Story in 2006.
“I came up with the melodic style that I play in 1971, and I have always called it ‘Folk Piano’ (or more accurately ‘Rural Folk Piano’), since it is melodic and not complicated in its approach, like folk guitar picking and folk songs, and has a rural sensibility,” reads a quote from a Q&A section on his website.
“I just play the songs the best I can, inspired by the seasons and the topographies and regions, and, occasionally, by sociological elements, and try to improve as a player over time.”
