LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: George Winston, a pianist who won a Grammy Award and sold millions of recordings, died on Sunday. He was 74. The musician's website confirmed the news with a statement from his representatives.
"We are deeply saddened to share the news that George Winston has passed on after a 10-year battle with cancer. George quietly and painlessly left this world while asleep on Sunday, June 4."
'George courageously managed bone marrow transplant in 2013'
The website detailed that "George courageously managed serious cancers, including having a successful bone marrow transplant for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in 2013... that gratefully extended his life by 10 years."
"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," the biography on the website mentioned further.
He had a distinguished career spanning 50 years with a Grammy and five Grammy nominations
With the publication of his two most recognizable albums, Autumn (1980) and December (1982), George's music initially came to be known and adored by his followers during the course of a distinguished career spanning more than 50 years. With over 15 million albums sold and a GRAMMY Award for Forest and five Grammy nominations, George's records evolved with the times.
Winston, who was raised primarily in Montana as well as in Mississippi and Florida, was born to parents George and Mary. Throughout his childhood, Winston listened to rock and R&B. In 1967, he started playing the organ, and in 1971, he started playing the acoustic piano.
George began playing the organ in 1967
"George began playing the organ in 1967. In 1971 he switched to the acoustic piano after hearing recordings from the 1920s and the 1930s by the legendary stride pianists Thomas "Fats" Waller and the late Teddy Wilson," his biography states further. "In addition to working on stride piano, he also at this time came up with his style of melodic instrumental music on solo piano, called folk piano. In 1972, he recorded his first solo piano album, 'BALLADS AND BLUES' 1972, for the late guitarist John Fahey's Takoma label.
His 1994 album 'Forest' won the Grammy Award for best new age album
He found commercial success starting in the 1980s with two platinum-certified albums, Autumn and Winter into Spring, which were followed by the three-times platinum-certified December. His 1994 album 'Forest' won the Grammy Award for best new age album. Winston also worked on several soundtracks, including 1984's The Velveteen Rabbit, 1988's This Is America Charlie Brown, 1995's Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, 2002's Pumpkin Circle and 2003's Bread Comes to Life.
'With every dark hour that passes, daytime will sooner occur'
His latest 16th solo piano album NIGHT was recorded on May 6, 2022. "NIGHT is a vivid look into Winston’s nocturnal world where life begins as the sun sets on each day." In George's own words, "The night has many colors, they’re just more subtle. And I am nocturnal...With every dark hour that passes, daytime will sooner occur." The tireless musician would play nearly 100 concerts annually. For Winston, as per the biography, "Live performance for Winston is akin to breathing." It notes, "Winston's music is evocative, offering us all a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives and let our minds adventurously wander."
