Winter in America is a studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson, released in May 1974 on Strata-East Records. They recorded the album during September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. While Jackson's piano-based arrangements were rooted in jazz and the blues,
their stripped-down production for the album resulted in a reliance on
more traditional African and R&B sounds. The subject matter on
Winter in America deals with the African-American community and inner city in the 1970s.
The album serves as Scott-Heron's and Jackson's debut release for
Strata-East Records, following a dispute with their former label and
departure. It proved to be their sole release for the independent jazz
label. Upon its release,
Winter in America featured limited
distribution in the United States and quickly became rare in print.
However, with promotional help from its only single "The Bottle",
it obtained considerably larger commercial success than Scott-Heron's
and Jackson's previous work. The album debuted at number six on
Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart and ultimately sold over 300,000 copies in the United States.
While it was critically overlooked upon its release,
Winter in America earned retrospective acclaim from several writers and music critics as Scott-Heron's and Jackson's greatest work
together. Along with its critical recognition, it has been noted by
several critics for its influence on derivative music forms such as neo soul and hip hop music,
as many artists of the genres have been influenced by Scott-Heron's and
Jackson's lyrical and musical approach on the album. On March 10, 1998,
Winter in America was reissued on compact disc for the first time in the United States through Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia Records.
