Let’s start with one of the early interpretations. We are going to Eric Burdon in concert later this summer and he must have been one of the first to cover Bob Dylan’s song.
Eric Burdon Band – A live performance of ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’, Germany, April 21, 1976:
The next pick is White Stripes, a contender for best cover version ever.
The White Stripes (Under Nova Scotian Lights) – One More Cup Of Coffee:
Continue reading One more cup of coffee – 5 good cover versions
I believe in Hank Williams singing `I Saw the Light.’ I’ve seen the light, too.”
– Bob Dylan (1997)Hank Williams was the first influence, I would think, I guess, for a longer period of time than anybody else.
~Bob Dylan (Bronstein Interview, Montreal, 1966)I started writing songs after I heard Hank Williams.
~Bob Dylan (The Les Crane Show, Feb 1965)If it wasn’t for Elvis and Hank Williams, I couldn’t be doing what I do today.
~Bob Dylan (to Robert Shelton, June 1978)
Check out this post: Hank Williams’s birthday
Bob Dylan has referenced Hank Williams in interviews, in books, and with music a lot of times. Williams was also mentioned in the liner notes on Dylan’s first two albums:
Bob Dylan (1962):
Bob Dylan started to sing and play guitar when he was ten. Five to six years later he wrote his first song, dedicated to Brigitte Bardot. All the time, he listened to everything with both ears — Hank Williams, the late Jimmie Rodgers, Jelly Roll Morton, Woody Guthrie, Carl Perkins, early Elvis Presley.
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan(1963):
Among the musicians and singers who influenced him were Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Jelly Roll Morton, Leadbelly, Mance Lipscomb and Big Joe Williams.
Lets start with a lovely scene from “Don’t Look Back” (1967, D. A. Pennebaker) where Bob sings Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway” and “So Lonesome I Could Cry“:
“The songs of Woody Guthrie ruled my universe, but before that, Hank Williams had been my favorite songwriter, though I thought of him as a singer, first.”
– Bob Dylan (Chronicles)
We really like Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, we especially like it when they slow things down and of course when they sing the songs of our hero Bob Dylan. We have trawled the web to find some of her great cover versions.
Please tell me in the comments section if I have missed any of their Dylan covers.
Pearl Jam – Masters Of War (live at the Bob Dylan 30th anniversary):
Neil Young & Pearl Jam – All Along the Watchtower (live, 2004):
We have listened a lot to Willie lately and have dug up some duets with him and Bob Dylan. They have shared the stage on many occasions. We have also added a few cover versions of Dylan’s songs done by Willie Nelson.
His latest album is well worth checking out by the way.
from Billboard:
“…Kris Kristofferson invited Nelson down to Mexico to the set of Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” where he introduced him to Bob Dylan. Nelson played a song for a group of new friends.
“And Bob Dylan was so knocked out that he made him keep playing,” Kristofferson remembered during a visit to the bus late last year. “I think you played there all day by yourself. … Dylan was just amazed. It made me respect Dylan, too. But (Nelson) has always been a songwriter’s hero. Because he’s a great songwriter. Because he’s absolutely unlike anybody else and because he’s the funniest human being on the planet. And very much like God.””
Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan – Heartland (1993):
“Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” is a 1981 single from the film Honeysuckle Rose. “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” was written and performed by Willie Nelson. The single would be Willie Nelson’s seventh number one on the country chart as a solo artist and stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart.
This song is commonly believed to have been written about Charlie Magoo a good friend of Nelson’s who happened to also be a member of The Hells Angels. This has never been confirmed or denied by Nelson who usually says he’s not going to argue with a load of bikers. He did once claim the song was about his wife Connie.
Bob Dylan – Angel flying too close to the ground (Infidels outtake) (written by Willie):
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson -You win again:
Continue reading Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson duets and covers
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) Recognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in various areas of entertainment, as well as continuously reinventing both her music and image, which has led to her being nicknamed the Goddess of Pop.
Cher has covered many Bob Dylan songs throughout her career:
All I Really Wanna Do, Blowin’ In The Wind, Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, I Threw It All Away, Like A Rolling Stone, Masters Of War, The Times, They Are A-Changin’, Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You, Lay, Baby, Lay (yes, really!) and I Want You (Please tell us if there are more).
Like a Rolling Stone (audio):
Tonight I’ll be staying here with you (audio):
Continue reading Cher sings Bob Dylan Happy Birthday Cher