by William RuhlmannJesse Winchester was the music worlds most prominent Vietnam War draft-evader, though his renown came from a body of wry, closely observed songs. After growing up in Memphis, Winchester received his draft notice in 1967 and moved to Montreal, Canada, rather than serve in the military. In 1969, he met Robbie Robertson of the Band, who helped launch his recording career. In the same way that James Taylors history of mental instability and drug abuse served as a subtext for his early music, Winchesters exile lent real-life poignancy to songs like Yankee Lady, which appeared on his debut album, Jesse Winchester (1970). He became a Canadian citizen in 1973. Despite critical acclaim, his inability to tour in the U.S. prevented him from taking his place among the major singer/songwriters of the early 70s, but he made a series of impressive albums — Third Down, 110 to Go (August 1972), Learn to Love It (August 1974), Let the Rough Side Drag (June 1976), and Nothing but a Breeze (March 1977) — before President Jimmy Carter instituted an amnesty that finally allowed him to play in his homeland. By that time, the singer/songwriter boom had passed, though Winchester continued to record (A Touch on the Rainy Side [July 1978], Talk Memphis [February 1981], Humour Me [1988]) and even scored a Top 40 hit with Say What in 1981. His most prominently covered songs include Yankee Lady (Brewer & Shipley), The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Joan Baez, Ian Matthews), Biloxi (Tom Rush, Jimmy Buffett), Mississippi, Youre on My Mind (Jerry Jeff Walker, Stoney Edwards [for a Top 40 country hit]), Defying Gravity (Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris), Rhumba Girl (Nicolette Larson [for a pop chart entry]), Well-A-Wiggy (the Weather Girls [for an R&B chart entry]), and Im Gonna Miss You, Girl (Michael Martin Murphey [for a Top Ten country hit]). In 1999, Winchester returned from a long recording hiatus with the new album Gentleman of Leisure. An active live performer, Winchester released his first live album in 24 years with 2001s Jesse Winchester Live at Mountain Stage. Another live album, simply titled Live followed in 2005.