Born James Ridout Winchester in Lousiana in 1944, he was brought up in Mississippi and then Memphis, playing guitar in local bands at High School and In Germany after graduating from Williams College Mass. in 1966. He received his draft papers in 1967, and took off to Montreal to avoid being sent to Vietnam. There he played solo gigs in clubs and coffee houses, and in a band called The Astronautes. he hooked up with The Band's Robbie Robertson, who helped him get a record deal, and he released his first album in 1970. Unable to return to the USA to tour, he turned to songwriting to expand his career, his prolific output supplying material for Anne Murray, Patti Page, Jimmy Buffett and many more. President Carter's amnesty for draft dodgers in 1977 allowed him to go back to the USA, where, now based in Virginia, he has continued to record and perform ever since. Acrobat has on catalogue a 'live' album featuring many of his best-known songs - for details click here.