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An artist cannot be responsible for what people make of their art. An audience loathe giving up preconceived images of an artist. ~Stephen Stills — One thing the blues ain’t, is funny. ~Stephen Stills — He’s a musical genius ~Neil Young |
| Rare TV Footage of Stephen Stills & Manassas, 1972: |
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Continue reading Jan 03: Stephen Stills was born in 1945 Happy Birthday
1. Cat Power – Song to Bobby
My favourite line: “Oh God, can you tell me who are you singing to” as I have so many times read Dylan’s lyrics and wondered the exact same thing.
I love this song, she’s such a “fangirl”, and the way she mimics his singing style is so fitting for this song. She did her contribution to the soundtrack of I’m Not There, Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again, in the same “Dylan-style” (included below), and she has covered several of his songs (Oh Sister and I Believe in You springs to mind).
“Elvis has come out with a record which gives us some of the very finest and most affecting music since he first recorded for Sun almost 17 years ago”- Peter Guralnick (Rolling Stone Magazine 1971)
“…Elvis was at his peak when he cut Elvis Country. Actually, Elvis Presley was positively on a roll at the time. A decade after the end of what were thought to be his prime years, he was singing an ever-widening repertory of songs with more passion and involvement than he’d shown since the end of the 1950s…”
~Bruce Eder (allmusic.com)
Elvis Presley – Funny How Time Slips Away (Willie Nelson):
Continue reading Jan 02: Elvis Presley released “Elvis Country” 1971
..You know, Dylan didn’t even talk to me for the whole first month we were on the road. I thought that’s how it was going to be, but he eventually started talking to me, the way that Dylan talks. We talked a lot after that, but did we ever have a conversation? I think not. [laughs] I don’t think that’s what it is. A lot of it has to do with my ideas about Bob Dylan. He’s fuckin’ Bob Dylan and I’m Steve Earle. We’re going to communicate differently, and what I think about Bob Dylan is as much who I am, just because of my job, what I do. I am who I am as much because of Bob Dylan as anybody. Just like what we had talked about Townes [Van Zandt]. Townes was fully aware that Bob Dylan invented his job. Make no mistake about that. I am, too.
~Steve Earle (pitchfork interview 2007)“About 2:30 in the morning, Townes walked in, It was the first time I’d ever been in an environment with him where we weren’t separated by a microphone. And he had on this beautiful buckskin jacket. And Townes started a craps game and lost every dime that he had. And that jacket. Within 15 minutes. And I thought, ‘My hero.’ ”
~Steve Earle (npr music)
Steve Earle has covered Townes Van Zandt many times, even release an album with cover songs (“Townes” in 2009). Here is a collection of videos I found on youtube – Great stuff!
Pancho And Lefty (Live in Sydney – April 2012):
Continue reading Steve Earle covers Townes Van Zandt (videos)
Painted woodcut of Hank Williams by Lisa Brawn
Hank Williams is one of the most influential songwriters in music, be it rock’n roll, blues or country. A lot of singer/songwriters influenced by him pay their respects by singing his songs, doing tribute songs or mention him in their lyrics. There are literally hundreds of songs referencing Hank Williams one way or another.
Here’s a list of some of my favourite songs about the great legendary Hank Williams:
There is no contest for the top spot, it has to be
1) Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen:
“…Oh in the Tower of Song
I said to Hank Williams: how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn’t answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
A hundred floors above me
In the Tower of Song”
From Leonard Cohen that is very high praise indeed!
London 2008: