George Winston

In December, I talked to "folk pianist" George Winston about his then-new Christmas single, "Silent Night," which he released to benefit Feeding America. His version was inspired by electronic artist Joseph Byrd and New Orleans piano player Professor Longhair, and at the time I ran part of our interview. 

This week, I'm running the interview in its entirety, as he talks at length about his affection for New Orleans' piano players then and now, and another pianist who influenced him--Vince Guaraldi. Through the conversation, we see Winston as a fan and as a technician, someone who methodically hears things in others' performances that he can repurpose for his own music. He also, understandably, talks about his own best-selling December and the challenges it posed. 

In this episode, I also share my love of honky tonk hero Dale Watson, his Christmas album Christmas Time in Texas, and my favorite track on it, "Santa and My Semi."

In the episode, I mention the Ranking the Beatles podcast, which this week examines the closest thing to a Christmas song The Beatles recorded, "Christmas Time is Here Again." Jonathan and Julia from Ranking the Beatles appeared on 12 Songs last holiday season to rank The Beatles' Christmas fan club releases including "Christmas Time is Here Again." 

If you like what you hear or are curious, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts—Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Pandora, or Spotify.