"Artists, I am told, are always searching for a new medium to explore. I honestly thought I had it, but it proved infeasible to lathe sound recordings into Tupperware. My apologies. The search goes on." - William Ackerman, 1977.


William Ackerman borrowed $300 and started Windham Hill Records in 1976, as a side line to his regular job as a carpenter/general contractor. He had already eschewed his father's occupation (college professor), but along the way he picked up a great vocabulary (reflected in his label's song titles, if nothing else), and a wry sense of humor. When I saw him live in the mid-1980s, he introduced a song by saying, "The title of this song is so sad I can't even bear to say it." And he didn't...! I had to go home and listen to records to find out that it was "The Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit." And an unannounced guest at the concert was Michael Hedges. Now that was a guitar concert!

By 1982 he had recruited his cousin, Alex DeGrassi, as well as pianists George Winston and Liz Story to the label, and was getting some notice in the industry. He made a deal with A&M for manufacture and distribution of his product. With clever use of sampler discs which were played in stores, Ackerman got a whole new sound to listeners' ears: what would become known as new age jazz (although Ackerman himself reportedly hates that term for his label's music). In any case, neither purely classical nor purely jazz, it was perfect background music.

By 1984, Windham Hill was hot. But being the CEO of a top record company was not what Ackerman wanted in life, so he resigned as CEO. He built a home in Vermont with a state-of-the-art recording studio.

When A&M was sold to PolyGram, Windham Hill switched to BMG (RCA) for distribution. In 1992, Ackerman sold half his interest in the label to BMG, and in 1996, BMG bought the other half. Ackerman still records, and sure enough, he records for Windham Hill.

Tracks on each album are listed in the order they appear on the album. An asterisk (*) before the record number indicates we do not have information on the correct playing sequence of the tracks, and consequently they are listed in alphabetical order for that album. In the early days, when vinyl was the thing, the Windham Hill vinyl was exceptionally quiet. Also in the early days, the label used the "WH-" prefix for regular issues by artists, and the "C-" prefix for compilations. This lasted for two compilations' worth -- for the first two compilations, the 1981 and 1982. There was no 1983 sampler, and by the time the 1984 sampler was issued (WH-1035), the prefixes for all the albums were simplified to "WH-."

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Windham Hill Records. Should you be interested in acquiring the vinyl albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. Many of the vinly albums have been reissued on CD and are available in that mode. This story and discography are copyright 2001, 2005 by Mike Callahan.