Joan Baez has recorded many Dylan songs. Her unique and beautiful voice carries some of them to different places. For many Dylan enthusiasts, Joan Baez’s interpretations are the only tolerable ones, besides Dylan’s own 🙂
Baez first met Dylan in 1961 at Gerde’s Folk City in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Here are my chosen 5:
Farewell Angelina:
Check out this full post about the song.
Continue reading January 9: Joan Baez was born in 1941 – here singing Bob Dylan songs
A writer, or any artist, can’t expect to be embraced by the people [but] you just keep doing your work — because you have to, because it’s your calling.
~Patti Smith
Punk rock’s poet laureate Patti Smith ranks among the most influential female rock & rollers of all time. Ambitious, unconventional, and challenging, Smith’s music was hailed as the most exciting fusion of rock and poetry since Bob Dylan’s heyday.
~Steve Huey (allmusic.com)
Let us kick off with the heartfelt touching performance from The Nobel Prize ceremony.
Patti Smith – A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (2016):
Neil Young is maybe the best interpreter of Bob Dylan’s songs, and it is so fitting, he is after all one of the “holy trinity” (with Dylan and Springsteen). Here are some great versions, sometimes alone and sometimes with other great artists.
Here is a fine clip from the Charlie Rose Show, Neil Young talks about Bob Dylan:
Neil Young – Girl From The North Country:
Continue reading Neil Young plays Bob Dylan
Johnny Cash covers Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash became friends at the 1964 Newport Folk Fest where they both performed (they had corresponded some time before this and they bumpen into each other in New York in 63 backstage at The Gaslight cafe) , Johnny Cash the seasoned country legend and Bob Dylan the new golden boy. They spent the evening picking in Joan Baez’s hotel room with June Carter Cash, Joan Baez, Jack Elliot and others. As the story goes, Johnny Cash took Dylan aside and handed him his Martin guitar as a gift, a gesture of honor among country musicians.
Their paths crossed on several occasions, and they recorded and performed together many times.
Johnny Cash – Blowin’ in the wind(Nov, 1970):
Americana is an amalgam of roots music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influences. Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is “contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band.”
A while ago I did a post on my top 10 country versions of Bob Dylan songs (soon to be updated), since then I’ve been made aware of a lot more songs from people who read the original post. Then most of my pickings where of classic country leaning on outlaw country, in this post I will concentrate on the new generation of country/ alt. country.
Here are 13 favourite Bob Dylan songs performed by Americana artists. Lets start with a great live version:
Bobby Long & John Fullbright – It’s Not Dark Yet:
What a wonderful sound and such a great performance. These guys are just so good!
Continue reading 13 great Americana versions of Bob Dylan songs