Country Reflections
Bill Winchester
Recorded at: The Recording Company, Captains Walk, Esperance NY - The Recording Company
Musicians performing on Bill Winchester’s Album Country Reflections 2018
Lead Vocals and Harmony – Bill Winchester
Female Vocal and Harmony– Donna Lee Reisinger
Rhythm Guitar – Bill Winchester, Tim Lynch
Lead Guitar – Tim Lynch, Bill Winchester
Keyboards – Tim Lynch
Bass – Tim Lynch
Drums – Rick Sullivan, Dan DeFilipps
Bongos – Carman Schettine
Saxophones – Bob Boyer
Steel Guitar and Blues Harmonica – David Tarokowski
Dinner Party voices – Sharon Winchester, Bill Winchester, Tim Lynch, Robert Wuagneux
Country Reflections is Bill Winchester’s life in music. The album cover depicts the actual one bedroom no bath cottage where Bill grew with his Mom and Dad and three older sisters. The home was filled with love and Bill conveys that love in many of the songs on the CD. The song “Reflection” expresses the daily love and fun that he took for granted while living rather rustically with no running water or indoor bathroom. The walk to the cold outhouse and the trip outside to hand pump drinking water was a daily way of life that at the time Bill thought was a normal way to live. His line that says “I didn’t know what I didn’t have until I grew old”, was literally true. There weren’t lots of toys, except the small green plastic army men and some small cars he loved to play with, but none of the things that kids today entertain themselves with. There were woods and fields and a creek which was all that was needed. There was hunting and fishing and exploring, and always music. Mom was a trained concert violinist, but once she had kids there wasn’t much time for her playing the violin, so family singing took its place. Singing was Bill’s music experience until seeing a real band at a wedding when he was five years old, and then a cousin visiting from Canada gave him a guitar that opened his imagination and creativity.
The first song on Country Reflections called, “All of My Life”, was written for his wife and like all of Bill’s songs plays like a story and you can see it happening as you listen. That seems to be a normal occurrence while listening. You can imagine the little cottage which was a place filled with so much fun with extended family gatherings such as detailed in the song, “The Feast”, which is about a normal Thanksgiving gathering for them. It was always a time to laugh and have fun with family, and of course, eat.
There are many songs throughout this CD that are fun and you hear about losses and near misses in life. The song “Rainbows and Butterflies” seems like a cute song of living with your mate, but Bill’s creative mind wrote this song as a reminder of the difficulties of committed relationships and trying to keep a good outlook of the relationship when at times you may want to give up as you feel the stresses of life. In the song he says “I feel Fine”, but the question is who are you trying to convince of that, you or your loved one, saying that you can get through anything together. The blues tune, “Tightrope,” tells of struggling onward though you may be down on your luck, but reminding yourself that you should never give up and you’re better off than some other people because at least you have socks in your shoes. That line came from a commercial that stated socks were the number 1 requested item in homeless shelters.
The “Daddy’s Little Girl” song was written for Bill’s daughter’s wedding as a father/daughter dance for them, and it originally had a slide show accompanying it that showed his daughter growing up and ending with a slide of her in her wedding gown. It’s a touching song which has brought many people to tears as they listen.
The entire story of his life ends with a song called “You’ll Remember Me” with a farewell to loved ones that reminds them that there will be a time when you must let him go, but he will always be there for them because their heart is his home.
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