J. Winchester, 69, singer and songwriter

TORONTO - Jesse Winchester, 69, a U.S.-born singer who established himself in Montreal after dodging the Vietnam War and went on to write songs covered by the likes of Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, and Joan Baez, has died of cancer.

His death was announced on his official Facebook page Friday.

Mr. Winchester was born in Louisiana and raised around the Southern U.S., but he didn't begin his music career in earnest until moving to Quebec in 1967. There, he began performing solo in coffeehouses around Montreal and the Canadian East Coast.

He was a protege of the Band's Robbie Robertson, who produced and played guitar on Mr. Winchester's self-titled debut album and brought Band-mate Levon Helm along to play drums and mandolin.

Although large-scale mainstream success eluded Mr. Winchester, his songs were covered by an array of musicians including Anne Murray, Wynona Judd, Emmylou Harris, the Everly Brothers, and Jimmy Buffett.

Some of his best known songs were "Say What," "Yankee Lady," "Biloxi," "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz," and "Mississippi, You're on My Mind."

Mr. Winchester was nominated for three Juno Awards, including country male vocalist of the year in 1990 and, most recently, best roots and traditional album for Gentleman of Leisure in 2000.

In September 2012, artists including James Taylor, Lucinda Williams, Vince Gill, and Buffett performed covers of Mr. Winchester's tunes for a tribute album, Quiet About It.

After living in Canada for decades, Mr. Winchester moved back to the U.S. early last decade. He died at his home in Charlottesville, Va.