Most musicians seem to to all in, chasing their dreams, from a young age, before having to give up when real life gets in the way. Stephen Winston however put his musical pursuits to one side, choosing instead to focus on working in the corporate and communcations world, and is now able to spend all of his time making music. He taught himself to play piano and guitar while at college, and after his retirement he built a state-of-the-art studio at his longtime home, in Littleton Colorado, and another at his new home, in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
His album, ‘Unresolved’ was written at this studio in Rancho Santa Fe, and the record follows on from his first album, ‘The Overlook Sessions’ (2010), and ‘Grayling’, released in 2014. The independent and self-funded artist has had a lot of personal and family challenges, which meant ‘Unresolved’ was delayed in production and release. Both his parents died, and one of his daughters gave birth to a premature baby, in Hawaii, which meant months in the neo-natal ICU, and many many sleepless nights wondering if the baby boy would survive.
While in his hotel room in Hawaii, Stephen heard laughter from a party downstairs, which to him seemed like a sign that things were about to change. This feeling resulted in, ‘Maybe It’s For James’, the string-led ballad inspiring hope. James is now a healthy five year old, and speaking of the song, Winston says,
“That song means everything to me because it’s a true story. It was touch and go on whether James would live, and the song was inspired by the night that I had this feeling that things were going to turn our way. We worked hard to make it a story and something that people can relate to. It was quite a battle for James but I think people can relate to what happened.”
The video for ‘Maybe It’s For James’ opens with the setting sun, before showing Stephen at the piano. The focus of the clip however is on a collage of photos and videos of James, from his earliest days until now. We go through anguish and heartache, right through to joy – in three and a half minutes.
You can find out more about Stephen Winston online on his official website.
