Winter, Paul

Winter, Paul (Theodore)

(1939– ) bandleader, composer; born in Altoona, Pa. A child musician, he learned saxophone and toured with the Ringling Brothers Circus at age 17. In 1961 his college sextet won a 23-country tour of Latin America. He formed the Paul Winter Consort in 1967 and began mixing folk, classical, ethnic, and jazz forms, creating what he called "Earth music," a prototype of New Age music. Dedicated to worldwide cultural and environmental issues, the Consort performs in many benefit concerts and has won many humanitarian awards.