Tag Archives: bob dylan

25 Days Of Christmas Music 2025: Day 1

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Happy December, everybody!!! Welcome to 25 Days of Christmas Music!

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

We have officially arrived at the Christmas season so what better way to celebrate this festive time of year than with a daily countdown of great holiday songs to usher in the big day. All are welcome here even if you are not a fan of this genre or you do not observe the holiday. Great music of any kind should be enjoyed by all. I would love to hear about your favorite Christmas songs, so please share them with me in the comments.

Today is birthday #80 for The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. Born December 1, 1945 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the future Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony Award winner moved to NYC 60 years ago in 1965 and landed an off Broadway role the same year. By 1970, she started singing at the Continental Baths inside the Ansonia Hotel & met Barry Manilow, who became her piano accompanist. He also produced her first album, The Divine Miss M, released in November 1972. It gave her three hits & introduced her talent to the masses, leading to a 50+ year career as an entertainer in music and acting.

Her first movie role was in 1979’s The Rose, which earned her an Oscar nomination. That movie and 1988’s Beaches crossed over into chart success as well (the latter gave her a #1 record for one week in 1989 with “Wind Beneath My Wings”). She has acted in countless other movies, on Broadway and on several TV shows, including a self-titled sit-com of her own in 2000. Midler also closed out a huge chapter in television history with her poignant rendition of “One For My Baby” as Johnny Carson’s last guest on his final show in May 1992. Her performance at Yankee Stadium during the “Prayer For America” following 9/11 is still considered one of the most touching moments of the event.

She has released 14 studio albums (and a spoken word album, Mud Will Be Flung Tonight, in 1985), four soundtracks and two live albums. She has worked with artists like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Mick Jagger, Darlene Love, Linda Ronstadt and others. Midler also paid homage in song to two of her favorite performers with two albums-Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook in 2003 and Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook in 2005.

Bette Midler circa 1978. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Midler and her family circa 2022 (L-R): Husband Martin Von Haselberg, their daughter, Sophie von Haselberg Guinness and Midler. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Midler will also celebrate her 41st wedding anniversary this month with husband Martin von Haselberg. The couple wed on December 16, 1984 and their daughter, Sophie, was born in November 1986. She has followed in her mother’s footsteps and started acting in 2015.

October marked the 30th anniversary of The New York Restoration Project, the non-profit Midler started in 1995 on the belief that “nature is a fundamental human right”. The group has been cleaning up parks and community gardens in the five boroughs ever since. According to the group’s website, the NYRP has “built and refurbished more than 350 community green spaces”.

In 2017 at age 72, Midler starred in her first leading role on Broadway in “Hello, Dolly” which earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She has more than earned her status as a NYC patron, an American treasure and a legendary performer.

Happy birthday, Bette Midler.

Barry Manilow (L) and Midler (R) circa 1972. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Midler (L) and Manilow (R) circa 1998. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Midler’s 2006 holiday album. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bette Midler: “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” (2006, written by Irving Berlin).

Bette Midler: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (1972, written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince

Bette Midler: “All I Need to Know” (1983, written by Barry Mann, Tom Snow and Cynthia Weil).

Bette Midler: “Hey There” (2003, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross).

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!

Independence Day 2025

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Happy Fourth Of July. This year America celebrates 249 years of existence.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I love this country for many reasons but especially for the beauty found in every state.

I love this country because it offers us cities, towns, suburbs & rural locations we can call home or admire from afar.

I love this country for the seasons offered to each region, especially the splendor of autumn in New England.

I love this country because it is my home.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I also love this country for the artists it has given us.

Woody Guthrie may have written this song as a snarky response to “God Bless America” (written by Irving Berlin in 1918 during WW1), but Guthrie’s words describe much of the physical beauty in this country quite eloquently.

Without him, we would still have Robert Zimmerman, but probably not Bob Dylan. Without him, there is no 1960’s folk music revival. There is no voice of that generation using songs to express the need for change.

I grew up singing Guthrie’s song during music class in elementary school. I could envision the places he mentioned and longed for the day I could see them myself.

Happy birthday, America.

“This land is your land, and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
And I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

There was a big high wall there
That tried to stop me
A sign was painted said “private property”
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing
This land was made for you and me

When the sun come shining then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me”.

Top: Ellis Island, New York, circa 1900. This is where my family arrived from Italy somewhere around 1910. Middle: Woody Guthrie singing aboard a New York City subway train sometime in the 1940’s. Bottom: One of my favorite places in this country, Vermont. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Woody Guthrie: “This Land Is Your Land” (1945, written by Woody Guthrie).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: January 27, 2025

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Less than a month into the new year and already a loss. Garth Hudson, the last surviving member of The Band, passed away on January 21 at age 87. He was a multi-instrumentalist and true musical virtuoso who added such a unique and resounding piece to what turned out to be an incredible group of musicians.

Born August 2, 1937 in Canada, he & the rest of The Band-Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson-formed in 1957 and a year later were the backing band for singer Ronnie Hawkins until 1963. By 1965, The Band were backing Bob Dylan during his electric phase. While he was recuperating from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in 1966, The Band rented a house in upstate New York where they recorded their first album, Music From Big Pink, released in 1968. The Band broke up in 1977 and their last concert in 1976 was captured in the film, “The Last Waltz”, released in 1978.

The Band circa 1975 (L-R): Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

After that Hudson played as a session musician, reformed The Band for a brief stint (with all but Robertson in attendance), did some solo work & performed with his wife, Maud, who died in 2022. According to the AP’s report on his death, Hudson faced financial struggles in the later years of his life including bankruptcy, foreclosure & an auction to sell his personal items in 2013 when he could no longer afford a storage unit. Like the other three members of The Band, Hudson had sold his interest in the group to Robbie Robertson who had been called out on several occasions by both Levon Helm and Rick Danko for taking advantage of his so called brothers while they were struggling at their lowest points. Robertson also refused to acknowledge their contributions to the songwriting process.

When he died in 2023 his net worth was allegedly around $50 million dollars, yet did nothing to assist Hudson at the very least by paying for the back rent on the storage unit to save his belongings. By that time they were the last two surviving members after Helm’s death in 2012. Whatever brotherhood existed in The Band during their 19 years together, it does not seem Robertson had any part of it once the group disbanded. By comparison one of his biggest admirers, Eric Clapton, agreed to give his Derek & The Dominoes bandmate Bobby Whitlock songwriting credit in 2017 for a few tracks for the group’s only album, 1970’s Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs, just ahead of its 50th anniversary reissue. Moral of the story: it is never too late to be a decent human being. And Hudson seemed to be one of the good ones who deserved a better ending to his story.

Eric Garth Hudson: August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025.

Top: Hudson in the late 1970’s. Bottom: The musician circa 2015. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Band: “The Weight” (1968, written by Robbie Robertson).

The Band: “I Shall Be Released” (1968, written by Bob Dylan).

The Band: “Up On Cripple Creek” (1969, written by Robbie Robertson).

Until next time, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music 2024: Day 20

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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the countdown.

Day 20

A sweet vintage Christmas card image from Pinterest. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

On this day 78 years ago, the definitive Christmas movie premiered. “It’s A Wonderful Life” opened on December 20, 1946 in New York City to only mixed reviews (I know, RIGHT?!?!?). That did not stop it from becoming the beloved iconic feel good movie for everyone who thinks their lives are nothing special in the grand scheme of things. Is it really Christmas until George meets Clarence and realizes what life would have been without the presence of the oldest Bailey son? And would we have even heard of the name Zuzu without this film???

It's_a_Wonderful_Life_(1946_poster)
Wonderful

Top: The movie poster for the film. Bottom: The heartwarming scene where George Baily (Jimmy Stewart) reunites with his family including wife, Mary (Donna Reed), and kids Pete, Janie, Zuzu and Tommy. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Fifteen years after that movie’s NYC debut, an unknown 19 year old folk singer turned up in that very same city in the hopes of starting his musical career and to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie. The man who renamed himself Bob Dylan arrived in New York City in January 1961 and began playing clubs in Greenwich Village a month later. Before the year was over he was signed to Columbia Records (thank you, John Hammond) and Dylan’s debut album was released in March 1962. The rest of the story is now history, as he became a hero for the times and his generation by using his words to voice the the significant changes at a time when so much life was happening.

A movie based on that seminal period-based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald-will open on Christmas Day. “A Complete Unknown” chronicles Dylan’s early days performing in small NYC venues to his controversial appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he introduced his electric sound. It stars Timothée Chalamet (who also serves as a producer) as Dylan and is directed by James Mangold who also brought Joaquin Phoenix to life as Johnny Cash in 2005’s “Walk The Line” and Sylvester Stallone as Freddy Heflin in one of my absolute favorite films, 1997’s “Copland”.

A_Complete_Unknown_poster

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

In 2009 Dylan released a holiday album, Christmas in the Heart. He took on 15 festive carols and made them his own and donated all the proceeds to charities he hand selected. I have always liked the poetry of his writing and the unmistakable sound of his hoarse gravelly voice and that is showcased on every track of this album. But I find myself particularly drawn to today’s pick as it gives me distinct Tom Waits vibes (he was featured on Day 7). But no matter who sings this song, it always takes me back to the scene where the crowd gathered at the Bailey house breaks into song after helping George on Christmas Eve.

Version 1.0.0
Dylan now

Top: Dylan’s 2009 album. Bottom: The artist circa 2023. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Bob Dylan: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” (2009, written by written by Felix Mendelssohn and Charles Wesley, arranged by Bob Dylan).

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!

Music Monday: April 15, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Blog image for 2024

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

One of the most important albums of the 20th century has turned 60 years old. It is Bob Dylan’s third album and the title track became the anthem for the 1960’s.

His second album, 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, gave us three now classic songs-“Blowin’ In The Wind”, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. His 1962 self-titled debut album contained traditional and cover songs along with his tribute to his hero, Woody Guthrie, in “Song To Woody”.

But it was album #3 in as many years that would deliver Dylan’s reflective ballad on an era of change. It was released in February 1964, a mere three months after the assassination of President Kennedy and foretold of the social upheaval which would follow later in the decade.

According to Dylan’s website, he first performed the song in October 1963 at a show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Many sources indicate he wrote in the spirit of an Irish or Scottish ballad to give a voice to the civil rights movement and other social changes he saw developing from his perspective as a 22 year old folk singer.

There have been countless covers of the title track by Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone, amongst others. My favorite is by fellow American artist Richie Havens. But Dylan’s original is the one that remains the sound heard by a generation and a movement that changed the direction of our country. What an incredible legacy.

“The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast“.

Dylan

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bob Dylan: “The Times They Are A-Changin‘” (1964, written by Bob Dylan).

Richie Havens: “The Times They Are A-Changin‘” (1987, written by Bob Dylan).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: May 29, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Courtesy of Huffpost.com: Christian Jacobs, 4, of Hertford, North Carolina, at the grave of his father, Christian James Jacob, during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on May 25, 2015. JOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS

Freedom is not free. May we never forget what it costs or those who have paid the price.

“Home of the free because of the brave”. On befalf of a grateful nation, thank you.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

“Far between my finished sundown and midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorways thunder went crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashin’

Flashin’ for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashin’ for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
And for each an’ every underdog soldier in the night
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'”.

Bob Dylan: “Chimes Of Freedom” (1964, written by Bob Dylan).

Stay safe and well.

Music Monday: February 27, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Saturday marked the 80th birth anniversary for George Harrison. The Quiet Beatle was born born February 25, 1943 in the London city he & his fellow Beatles would make famous, Liverpool. He was the first from the group to have a solo #1 song (“My Sweet Lord” in December 1970-January 1971) and the first artist to host a benefit concert to raise money & bring awareness to a cause he believed in (The Concert For Bangladesh held on August 1, 1971). And as if his years with The Beatles and his solo work were not enough, in 1988 he became a Traveling Wilbury with four other musical superstars: Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

The year 2001 was already horrible due to 9/11, but unimaginably it became even worse two months later when we lost Harrison to cancer at age 58 on November 29, 2001. It was a terrible blow to music and to me personally as George was always my favorite Beatle. His song, “Something”, is my favorite by the band despite the preponderance of Lennon and McCartney tunes.

Today’s track is the one that started my own music collection. It was released 50 years ago in May 1973 and it was the first single-yes, a 45-I ever bought for myself. It was Harrison’s second #1 single, hitting the top spot for one week on June 30, 1973. It also dethroned Paul McCartney & Wings’s song, “My Love” from the #1 spot after four conseciutive weeks.

Happy birthday, George. You are missed. Every. Single. Day.

“Give me hope
Help me cope with this heavy load
Trying to touch and reach you with
Heart and soul“.

Beatles Mag Mystery Tour era

George 1970

Traveling Wilburys

Top: The Beatles circa 1967 (L-R: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon). Middle: Harrison circa 1970. Bottom: The Traveling Wilburys circa 1988 (L-R: Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Harrison and Tom Petty). (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

George Harrison: “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” (1973, written by George Harrison).

Stay safe & well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 549

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

blog Sept 2021

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Several musical variety shows debuted in the 1960’s. One of the best was also one of the most short-lived. Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964 on the ABC Network in America. It was cancelled 18 months later but during its short run the show featured an impressive array of artists including Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, several Motown artists and The Beatles (in an installment filmed in England), to name a few.

The first episode that aired 57 years ago featured soul and R&B master Sam Cooke. He sang three songs that night, two by himself & one with The Everly Brothers who were also guests. One of the songs Cooke sang was written by Bob Dylan. Cooke also performed it at his Copacabana show in June 1964 & it became part of the album, Sam Cooke at the Copa, released a month after his appearance on this show.

This year marked Cooke’s 90th birth anniversary. To watch his vibrancy & utter joy in performing in this clip can only be described as bittersweet. The fact that he would be gone less than three months later is so heartbreaking I cannot even find the words to express it properly. The video may not be the best quality but who cares? It is Sam Cooke & he was too beautiful for words.

“How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry“.

Sam

Sam Cooke circa 1964. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Sam Cooke: “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Live performance from ABC’s Shindig! which was broadcast on September 16, 1964. Written by Bob Dylan).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 525

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

This weekend we lost a pioneer in two musical genres. Isaac Donald “Don” Everly died August 21 at the age of 84. Born February 1, 1937 in Kentucky he and his younger brother, Phil (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014), were a trailblazing duo in both country music & the birth of the rock & roll era who used harmonizing vocals to create their signature sound. Don sang lead and Phil provided the harmony.

The two men started singing with their parents on their father’s radio show on KMA in Iowa in the 1940’s as The Everly Family. They moved to TN in the early 1950’s where the brothers pursued music full time once Don graduated from high school in 1955. They were soon discovered by guitarist Chet Atkins who helped introduce them to Acuff Rose publishers & the songwriting team of Boudleaux Bryant.

They wrote the brothers’ first hits in 1957, “Bye Bye Love” (a cross over hit on both the country & rock & roll charts) & “Wake Up Little Susie”. The duo was also the first to record the Boudleaux Bryant song “Love Hurts” in 1960 before it became a hit for Roy Orbison a year later. The boys did write some of their own songs including “Cathy’s Clown” (1960, written by Don) & “When Will I be Loved” (1960, written by Phil).

The brothers success led to their 1960 contract with Warner Brothers Records for one million dollars. At that time it was an unprecedented amount of money for a rock & roll act and would keep the boys with the label for ten years. But the unrelenting work schedule took its toll on the duo. So did contract disputes, sibling rivalry, drug use and more which led their official break up in 1973. They did reunite a decade later but their relationship remained strained.

Some of the biggest names in music were fans of The Everly Brothers. In his 1976 Wings song “Let ‘Em In”, Paul McCartney mentioned the duo by their first names (“…Martin Luther, Phil and Don”). George Harrison recorded a demo of today’s song that was included on his 2012 posthumous album, Early Takes: Volume. His friend & Traveling Wilbury bandmate Bob Dylan covered today’s song for his 1970 album, Self-Portrait. Both Everly Brothers sang on the track “Graceland” by another of their admirers, Paul Simon. In 1986 they were a part of the inaugural class inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Neil Young.

Today’s song was based on a French recording of “Je t’appartiens” from 1955. It was a Top Ten hit for the brothers in 1959. As much fun as their faster songs are, I think it is the ballads that show off their vocal harmonies best. Rest in peace, Don Everly.

“Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be“.

Don and Phil

Don (L) and Phil Everly circa 1957. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Everly Brothers: “Let It Be Me” (1959, written by Gilbert Bécaud (music), Manny Curtis (English lyrics) and Pierre Delanoë (French lyrics).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 514

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

I am not sure if today’s song is considered PC or not anymore given the whole cancel culture climate we are in. I do not mean to offend if it is. I just hear it as a great track by one of my favorite bands. And in honor of Garth Hudson’s 84th birthday earlier this month I want to share it. He was born on August 2, 1937 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and he was the only member of that fabulous band who did not contribute vocals. He was too busy as a multi-instrumentalist to add that to his resume. He contributed keyboards, saxophone and accordion playing to the group which helped define their sound from day one.

Robbie Robertson may have been the principal songwriter for The Band, but he alone could not have given life to those songs in the phenomenal way the five men did as an ensemble. He & Hudson, who has been working as a solo artist for the last two decades, are the only living members left from this incredible group. I think it is so sad the other three have missed so much. But together they reached the likes of Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, Elton John & many others who were completely inspired by what The Band created as a whole. That is one impressive fan base. Here’s to 100 more birthdays for Garth Hudson.

“Now I don’t mind chopping wood
And I don’t care if the money’s no good
You take what you need
And you leave the rest“.

Garth 1971

The Band 1970

Top: Garth Hudson circa 1971. Bottom: The Band circa 1970 (L-R): Rick Danko, Hudson, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Band: “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (From the music documentary “The Last Waltz”, released April 26, 1978. Recorded live on November 25, 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Originally released in 1969, written by Robbie Robertson).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.