George Winston, who was a best-selling musician by playing soothing piano instrumentals in a style that was often described as new age but that he called “rural folk piano,” died on Sunday. He was 74.

George, who grew up in Miles City, attended Edna Stamp’s pre-school and learned to play piano at Esther Benson’s Conservatory. He released his first album, “Ballads and Blues,” in 1972, that includes the song “Miles City Train.” However it was “Autumn,” released in 1980 that propelled his career and his 1994 release, “Forest,” won a Grammy Award for best new age album and he was nominated four other times.

Those nominations were evidence of the range of his musical interests. Two — for “Plains” (1999) and “Montana: A Love Story” (2004) and he was also nominated for best recording for children for “The Velveteen Rabbit” (1984). A band that profoundly affected George and his music was the Doors. An excellent example of his piano and the influence the music of the Doors had upon him is his 2002 album “Night Divides The Day-The Music Of The Doors.”

He grew up in Mississippi, Florida and Montana. He always said that his years in Montana were instrumental in instilling the profound appreciation of nature and the changing seasons that later inspired his music. Even after he left Montana to live in other places, including on the West Coast, he would return occasionally to be re-energized. He recently sold his lot and cabin here in the Pine Hills Ranch Association, his get away where he occasionally stayed when re-energizing.

George Winston was a friend and an extremely nice person whose absence will be missed by all who knew him and especially by all who appreciate fine piano.

[Edited by Hanson (6/8/2023 3:09:47 PM)]

He always tried to stop in Miles City when he was on tour.

Sorry to hear this news. I last saw George at the Moore Theater in Seattle back in September of 2004.

George was neighbors with my good friend Tom Adams out in the Pine hills. When Tom passed away George wrote a song especially for Tom and the event I am going to tell you about.

Tom's wife Linda, and Tom's best friend Max contacted me to ask a favor, and invite me to participate in scattering Tom's remains in the Beartooths. Tom and I had attempted a couple of summits while I was younger and I never made it to the top. This time the goal was to get to the top of Castle Rock Mountain. Tom climbed many mountains in the Beartooths, but this was one of the peaks Tom never climbed. We had tried it years before but got snowed out. So I had yet to summit any mountain ever.

Max, Linda, and myself hiked in to the plateau and spent the night. The next day we were going for the summit. Unfortunately Linda's boots fell apart along the way that morning, and I was sent off on my own with Tom's remains in my pack.

I jumped a glacial outlet at the base after communing with a lone mountain goat and started making my way up. Along the way I would look down and wonder what the hell I was doing, but then I remembered. I finally made it to the top, pulled out the container containing Tom along with the cassette tape player and special song written by George Winston. I also had some of Tom's and my favorite snacks, and set about doing the ceremony.

I turned on the cassette player, opened Tom's container, stuck a piece of licorice in my mouth, and proceeded to scatter Tom on top of the mountain. With George's composition playing I looked at the view in all directions and understood why the Beartooths were special to Tom. He climbed many of the highest peaks before he passed, and the Beartooths was the first place he took me backpacking. I now have climbed many of those peaks, and have spent extended periods wandering around those mountains. I too know the magic of those mountains.

So thank you George Winston for your talent, compassion, and inspiration. You will be missed. You played a part in my life too and I'm thankful for that.