Dancing Cat Records officially announces the first in a series of posthumous albums composed by acclaimed pianist George Winston. Slated for release on August 30, 2024, the latest Winston studio album, Eastern Montana (Dancing Cat Records/Distributed by Valley Entertainment), will feature 10 new compositions and four covers (all 14 songs are newly recorded). The first single, "Dusk at the Fork in the Road," is now available on all major digital retail and streaming platforms. Lauded as one of the great folk-music pianists of the last half-century, Winston passed away in June 2023 after a 10-year battle with cancer. His legacy of emotive, introspective, and raucous New Orleans-style piano songs lives on in the hearts and minds of his devoted listeners, with Eastern Montana and subsequent releases adding to an already legendary catalog of recordings.
Dedicated George Winston fans are well aware of the profound impact his home state of Montana had on his life and music. Winston was often candid in interviews about the state's astonishing topography, great people, and the beautiful music of the Western Meadowlark that served as a major source of inspiration for his iconic compositions. His album AUTUMN is mainly about Miles City, and DECEMBER is about Billings, two areas in Eastern Montana where he grew up during the 1950s and early 1960s. Born in 1949, these formative years shaped how he viewed the world. Montana's natural wonders provided the spark of virtuosity that fueled his musical genius as he thrived through the seasons.
"The seasons are so extremely different in Eastern Montana that I thought of life as four different worlds," Winston once said. "I experienced the last years of an older way of living: there was no television, only one radio station, telephones were party lines, and you made a phone call by asking an operator to dial the number. Trains were the main way to travel. So, for me, the seasons were the whole entertainment: jumping into a pile of blazing yellow Cottonwood leaves in the Autumn; making a snowman and going sledding in the Winter; playing baseball in the glorious Spring; and going swimming in the Summer. Miles City to this day remains the center of the universe for me musically, for the visions that come to me in my head when playing and listening to music."
Eastern Montana features 10 newly recorded compositions by Winston that harken back to earlier stages of his illustrious career, with gorgeous, reflective song patterns turning listeners into wayfarers on a soulful journey. Original songs include "Spring," "Dusk at the Fork in the Road," "Montana Northern Plains," "High Plains Lullaby 2," "Meadowlarks," "Lullaby for Everyone," "Dance in A♭," "Browning Montana," "Rain on the Window," and "WKAT." The album also includes four covers: "I Wish I Was a Cowboy" (Michael Hedges), "Soul of Limestone Rock" (Jeremiah McLane/Keith Murphy), "Prairie in the Sky" (Mary McCaslin), and "Nature Boy" (eden ahbez).
Winston's record label, Dancing Cat Records, along with co-producer Cathy Econom, project coordinator Gail Korich, and his two longtime studio engineers and co-producers Howard Johnston and Sean M. Lennon, completed Eastern Montana after Winston had culled through 150 compositions with them to develop the final song selection. Eastern Montana was conceived in 2019, featuring songs recorded at five different studios in California and one studio in Pennsylvania. Now, five years later, it’s ready for the world to hear.
"I met George in the early '80s when he was really well-known, and we did his third album, DECEMBER, together, and I've been with him ever since," says engineer Howard Johnston. "I'll never forget when George came into Different Fur studios and heard the piano that owner Pat Gleeson brought from Japan. It was a Yamaha grand from the '60s. George loved it so much that he purchased it in the early '70s. When we would record George, I'd use around 11-12 microphones—a style that predates Dolby Atmos. George would move the piano around the studio until he found the right spot where it sounded best. Sometimes, the piano would end up in some pretty inconvenient locations, but of course, it was well worth it. George really interacted with the piano, from plucking the strings to manipulating the harmonics and overtones to playing with shoeless feet to better feel the music. He was truly exceptional."
Engineer Sean M. Lennon adds, "Looking back, what really impresses me the most about George is that he had a completely insane work ethic. 24 hours a day, he was either playing the piano, thinking about his records, making notes, or he was on the road touring. When off the road, he was in the studio, and when his material was completed, he'd turn to working with Hawaiian slack key guitar players. He never took a vacation. He was so driven, it was awe-inspiring to witness."
"Working on Eastern Montana was such a special experience for me, as usually George would be very hands-on in all phases of the project. Luckily, George always planned ahead and left extensive notes, which brought this beautiful album to life," says project coordinator Gail Korich.
Co-producer Cathy Econom comments, "I am in awe of how much and how well George had been preparing us to be able to finish and release his recordings on Eastern Montana. Sean and Gail were essential in mining George's detailed notes, so that we now have this very beautiful album that George had been working on for several years."
As we celebrate the life and music of George Winston with the release of Eastern Montana, may his music continue to be a part of the heartfelt memories and traditions created over the past 40+ years. Eastern Montana will be available on CD at retail stores across the country as well as on major digital platforms on August 30, 2024. For more information regarding George Winston, please visit georgewinston.com.
George Winston — Eastern Montana
Spring
I Wish I Was a Cowboy
Dusk at the Fork in the Road
Soul of Limestone Rock
Montana Northern Plains
High Plains Lullaby 2
Meadowlarks
Lullaby for Everyone
Dance in A♭
Prairie in the Sky
Browning Montana
Nature Boy
Rain on the Window
WKAT
