Bill Pursell is an American composer and former session pianist.
He … Read Full Bio ↴Bill Pursell is an American composer and former session pianist.
He had a brief but successful career as a pop musician before continuing on as a session player.
Pursell was born in Oakland, California, USA and raised in Tulare. He studied composition in Baltimore and arranged for the U.S. Air Force Band while serving in World War II.
Bill Pursell studied classical composition under Howard Hanson at the Eastman School of Music and earned a doctorate in composition in the mid-fifties. His symphonic poem "The Children's Suite" was the inaugural recipient of the Edward B. Benjamin Prize in 1953. Later that decade, he worked with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and taught at Vanderbilt University.
In 1962 he signed with Columbia Records, who released a full-length album "Our Winter Love". The album reached #28 on the Billboard top 200 on the strength of the popularity of the title track "Our Winter Love", which hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to hitting #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #20 on the Black Singles chart. The arrangements for the album were made by Bill Justis, and the orchestra was conducted by Grady Martin.
His follow-up single "Loved" reached Billboard position #121. Pursell later recorded for Epic, Alton, and Dot, but never hit the pop charts again. He played piano on many of Johnny Cash's albums in the 1960s, and worked as a session musician and arranger for Patsy Cline, Johnny Paycheck, Hoover, Joan Baez, Eric Andersen, Scotty Moore, J.J. Cale, Willie Nelson, and others.
In 1985, Pursell was named Composer of the Year by the Tennessee Music Teachers Association.
Pursell has been a member of the faculty of the School of Music at Belmont University since 1980.
He … Read Full Bio ↴Bill Pursell is an American composer and former session pianist.
He had a brief but successful career as a pop musician before continuing on as a session player.
Pursell was born in Oakland, California, USA and raised in Tulare. He studied composition in Baltimore and arranged for the U.S. Air Force Band while serving in World War II.
Bill Pursell studied classical composition under Howard Hanson at the Eastman School of Music and earned a doctorate in composition in the mid-fifties. His symphonic poem "The Children's Suite" was the inaugural recipient of the Edward B. Benjamin Prize in 1953. Later that decade, he worked with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and taught at Vanderbilt University.
In 1962 he signed with Columbia Records, who released a full-length album "Our Winter Love". The album reached #28 on the Billboard top 200 on the strength of the popularity of the title track "Our Winter Love", which hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to hitting #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #20 on the Black Singles chart. The arrangements for the album were made by Bill Justis, and the orchestra was conducted by Grady Martin.
His follow-up single "Loved" reached Billboard position #121. Pursell later recorded for Epic, Alton, and Dot, but never hit the pop charts again. He played piano on many of Johnny Cash's albums in the 1960s, and worked as a session musician and arranger for Patsy Cline, Johnny Paycheck, Hoover, Joan Baez, Eric Andersen, Scotty Moore, J.J. Cale, Willie Nelson, and others.
In 1985, Pursell was named Composer of the Year by the Tennessee Music Teachers Association.
Pursell has been a member of the faculty of the School of Music at Belmont University since 1980.
Our Winter Love
Bill Pursell Lyrics
Instrumental
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
@georgekelly2712
We were 17 and seniors in high school. We met in 1962. We danced to this
song in my home. Ours was a winter love. She went to college - I went to a different school. She
eventually got engaged in college and married someone else. I finished
tech school and joined the Navy. Then later married someone else
myself. Still married to the same gal 48 years later. But our winter love
never died. There was always an invisible thread that kept our souls
tied together. Through the magic of Facebook we reunited several years
ago and are still friends today. Though we married others, there is
still a love there that will never die. This was "our song" and always be ours, even out into eternity.
@pumasgol24
Cuando era estudiante de secundaria, en la Ciudad de México, escuché esta hermosa melodía y me gustó mucho, era (soy) muy romántico y siempre creí que en mi futuro existiría alguien con quien compartiría mi madurez o vejez, sin embargo, por una pésima decisión mía, no fue así .
Ocasionalmente escucho esta melodía y recuerdo cuando era muy joven
En estos últimos años y aunque sean muy pocos momentos me he sentido lleno de vida y felicidad ..
Te invito a escucharla ...
Felicito de verdad a quien le trae recuerdos gratos y haya encontrado una pareja que le haya llenado de felicidad.
De envidia sana
Felicidades
@santini4754
I fell in love with a girl when this song first came out .We married six years later when I came home from Vietnam. We are still together and love this song.
@robertslack1802
I'm very happy for you both.
@MimiZ914
This song transport me back to a time when life was beautiful, simple and poignant.
@Farrah300
Bill Pursell sadly passed away from Covid 19 in 2020. He was 94. He was a great musician, who did one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever recorded.
@bluemingsounds2837
Johnny Cowell too.
@speedviper47
Those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's had no idea how lucky we were to grow up in the best years ever! Life was so much simpler back then. We had no idea about what life would hold, but we had the best music ever! This song was one that I would listen to and think about my girlfriend and wonder if we would ever marry. It was such a great song to slow dance to. I miss those days! Terribly!!!! This is why I got into playing the oldies on the radio back in the 70's - 90's and doing dances, sock hops. I wanted the young people who came along later to experience what we got to enjoy growing up. My kids and grandkids all love the ride in the car with dad/grandpa and listen to the great classics. They fell in love with them too!
@1jimifox
you're a lucky man...
@JasonNation72
RIP Bill Pursell. You made a classic gem with this tune!
@sooz9433
Oh my heart... this song. If I close my eyes, lay my head back and listen... I'm 15 years old again and the World is mine to conquer...
How I wish I could do it all one more time..
Soundtrack of my youth 🎼🖤
@retashiver7904
We married in 1962 and enjoyed 57 years together. He passed in 2019. This songs evokes so many loving thoughts of the happiness we shared all those years.