
The Jesse Winchester Project
Marcus Lee Winchester and Friends
Live Show at the Wheel Club in Montreal March 8, 2025

My name is Marty Harris and I live in Ojai, California. I was in Jesse Winchesters band, the Midnight Bus for several years, and before that I worked with him as a duo. This week I turned 76 and felt that I was not finished with the JW Legacy. A little background is needed. Several years ago, my brother and I brought together of group of Toronto musicians for several days in the studio to rerecord some Jesse tunes. We videoed eight tunes and put them up on YouTube where they have received thousands of views. They were so well received, we began talking about doing a live show. In March of this year, I and my oldie friends played a sold-out concert in a club in Montreal, revisiting the music of an old friend and colleague Jesse Winchester. With the help of my brother harold, we brought together musicians from Toronto and Montreal, I flew in from California, we rented a studio, rehearsed for three days, and played our favorite Winchester tunes for two hours at the Wheel Club in Montreal. We were honored to have Jesse’s son Marcus Lee Winchester, as front man and he was the star of the show as his presence lent an undeniable authenticity and emotional depth to the tribute. The whole show was recorded, and we ended up with two long sets of music.
The show was a communal celebration of Jesse Winchester's enduring legacy. The presence of Marcus Lee and several family members in the audience including Marcus's sister Alice and mom Leslie, added to the warm living-room ambiance. It was also a blast to play these tunes again in front of a live audience.The Midnight Bus
Marcus Lee Winchester - Lead vocals
Linda Benoit- Vocals
Bob Cohen - Lead Guitars
Marty Harris - Bass
Robert Harris - Drums, percusion
Eric Lemoyne - Keyboards, Accordian
Harold Harris - Guitars - Mandolin, Mix engineer
Click on the button below to see Set One of the March 8 Montreal Show.
Set Two is coming soon!

Recorded in Toronto on October 21, 2022 and April 2023

Last fall, on Oct 21 in Toronto, after many years of trying to record some Jesse tunes together, we made it happen. Bob Cohen and I, original bandmates in the Midnight Bus, accompanied by my brother Harold, on guitar 2, Rebecca Campbell on vocals, Ed Roth on Keyboards, Malcolm Gould on Drums, Robin Easton Recording engineer, and of course the fabulous Marcus Lee Winchester on lead vocals, spent a very short six hours recording six of our favorite Jesse Winchester tunes. Six months later several more tunes were put down with Martin Worthy on drums.
These tracks were then mixed, tweaked, and enhanced by my brother and I and are presented to you all, with love. What we do next with these gems and other JW tunes is open for discussion.
We all felt that it was important to give back to all of the loyal Jesse fans out there. With the anniversary of his passing, we give you all a little gift.
Needless to say, playing them on your tiny smart phone speakers is not optimal. Headphones are best, stereo speakers, earbuds or little earphones work.
These recordings could not have been made without the help of the following incredible folks:Marcus Lee Winchester - Lead vocals
Rebecca Campbell - Vocals
Bob Cohen - Lead Guitars
Marty Harris - Bass
Malcolm Gould, Martin Worthy - Drums
Ed Roth - Keyboards
Harold Harris - Guitars - Mix engineer
Robin Easton -Recording Engineer
To play Toronto studio videos click on the YouTube button!
Photos etc.
Click on any image to enlarge
Midnight Bus A - Bob, Marty, Jesse, Chris Castle
Midnight Bus B - Bob, Marty, Ron, Dave, Jesse
Morin Heights gang
Bob Jesse Marty
Marty & Bob
Bob & Marty
Bob on way to Aspen
Crossing the border on Jesse's 1st US tour
His highness Mr Cohen
Bob on drums woodstock
Marty Harris
Marty Harris My 65 Jazz Bass (stolen)
Marty Harris
dave lewis
Ron dann favorite pose
ron
Ron Jesse and an unknown fan
Jesse
Jesse's guitars and Chris castle
jesse in memphis
Jesse 1st us tour
burlington
waiting to cross the border
burlington vt
woodstock ny
recording the unkown album
Jesse walking the streets of Montreal
woodstock ny
Jesse play a wedding
Marcus lee winchester
Marcus lee winchester
my friemd arnie naiditch (jesse's manager)
Arnie and bill
Drinking at my place
Sound man extraordinaire Joe Ciccolini
Bo Fox premo right hand man
tour poster
Live broadcast from montreal Studio six
Live broadcast from montreal Studio six
Poster first show in us
Montreux sey=t list
tour poster
Alternative Rough Side Drag back cover
Original design drawing (Harold Harris)
The Rough Side Drag t-shirt
bon temps rouler
WheelClub Promo 1
WheelClub Promo 2
WheelClub Promo 3
WheelClub Promo 4
WheelClub Promo 5
BTW. Feel free to share or spread the word. If you would like to get in touch .... my email is [email protected]
Marty Harris All rights reserved.