Tag Archives: Rod Stewart

January 10: Rod Stewart was born in 1945 – here singing Bob Dylan songs

Redirecting to a newer version of this post….

Roderick David “Rod” Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945) is born and raised in London, he is of English and Scottish ancestry. Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 100 million records worldwide.

With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group and then with Faces, though his music career had begun in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In October 1963 he joined the Dimensions as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist, then in 1964 he joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars. Later, in August 1964, he also signed a solo contract, releasing his first solo single, “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”, in October of the same year. He maintained a solo career alongside a group career, releasing his debut solo album An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down (US: The Rod Stewart Album), in 1969. His early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music and R&B. His aggressive blues work with The Jeff Beck Group and the Faces influenced heavy metal genres. From the late 1970s through the 1990s, Stewart’s music often took on a new wave or soft rock/middle-of-the-road quality, and in the early 2000s he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.

We have written many posts on the subject of other artists covering Bob Dylan’s songs. Today we present Rod Stewart’s takes on Dylan songs. We must remember that Mr. Stewart is a very good vocalist, yes, he has done some “strange” projects lately, but he can still muster a great rock’n roll vocal when he choose to.

Rod Stewart – Love minus zero/No Limit (audio):

Continue reading January 10: Rod Stewart was born in 1945 – here singing Bob Dylan songs

10 Great versions of That’s All Right (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Beatles & more)

johnny cash & bob dylan

For Elvis Presley & Arthur Crudup versions:

Such an important song needs special attention. So I decided to seek out versions of the song by some of my fav artists… here’s what I found:

1. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash (1969)

2. Bob Dylan  – Columbia Recording Studios (NYC) 1962/10/26 OR 1962/11/01

3. The Beatles – Live @ BBC

Continue reading 10 Great versions of That’s All Right (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Beatles & more)

Jan 18: The late David Ruffin was born in 1941


david-ruffin

The late David Ruffin was born January 18 in 1941

His voice was so powerful — like a foghorn on the Queen Mary… It jumped out of the speakers and ravished my soul..
~Rod Stewart

One of the greatest lead singers the Motown stable ever had
~John Lowe (allmusic.com)

One of the greatest “Motown voices”.. and thus one of the greatest voices in recorded american music history.

Continue reading Jan 18: The late David Ruffin was born in 1941

4 good and one great version of Bob Dylan’s Sweetheart like you

sweetheart like you

Sweetheart Like You is a song to a woman, it sounds like a love song, but also a warning not to stray away from home/God.

It was released on the album Infidels that was released October 27, 1983.

Oliver Trager’s book, Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, mentions that some have criticized this song as sexist. Indeed, music critic Tim Riley makes that accusation in his book, Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary, singling out lyrics like “…a woman like you should be at home/That’s where you belong/Taking care of somebody nice/Who don’t know how to do you wrong.” However, Trager also cites other interpretations that dispute this claim.

Some have argued that “Sweetheart Like You” is being sung to the Christian church (“what’s a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?”), claiming that Dylan is mourning the church’s deviation from scriptural truth. I think this is stretching the analysis a bit too far, but everyone is entitled to his/her opinions.

I love the melody, I love the song.

Let us start with the 4 good ones:

Very fine version from World party/Carl WallingerSweetheart Like You (Audio):

Continue reading 4 good and one great version of Bob Dylan’s Sweetheart like you

The late David Ruffin was born in 1941 – 72 years ago

david ruffin

His voice was so powerful — like a foghorn on the Queen Mary… It jumped out of the speakers and ravished my soul..
~Rod Stewart

One of the greatest lead singers the Motown stable ever had
~John Lowe (allmusic.com)

One of the greatest “Motown voices”.. and thus one of the greatest voices in recorded american music history.

The Temptations – My Girl:

From Wikipedia:

Birth name David Eli Ruffin
Born January 18, 1941
Whynot, Mississippi, U.S.
Died June 1, 1991 (aged 50)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres R&B, pop, soul, disco, gospel
Occupations Singer
Instruments Vocals, drums
Years active 1956–1991
Labels Anna, Chess, Motown, Warner Bros., RCA
Associated acts The Temptations, Eddie Kendrick, Jimmy Ruffin

Davis Eli “David” Ruffin (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968 (or the group’s “Classic Five” period as it was later known). He was the lead voice on such famous songs as “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with the Temptations. Fellow Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin that, “I heard in [his voice] a strength my own voice lacked.”

The Temptations

Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – Live 1966:

His voice had a certain glorious anguish that spoke to people on many emotional levels
~Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates)

I don’t know what kind of voice I have, I really don’t… it’s just about the feeling I get for the song.
~David Ruffin

Album of the day:

The Temptations – The Ultimate Collection (1997)

The+Temptations+The+Ultimate+Collection

Other January 18

Continue reading The late David Ruffin was born in 1941 – 72 years ago