Bob Dylan??

[Erv Niehaus]

Bob Dylan gave a concert in Rochester, MN the other day.
I didn't pay much attention to it because I'm not much of a Dylan fan, even though he's from Minnesota.
However, there was a write up in yesterday's Star and Tribune and, lo and behold, give a look to what's in the picture! Who knew?

[Cliff Kane]

That's a cool picture. Dylan has had that steel set up on stage for years, but no one plays it. He puts it in front of his keyboard and uses it as a music stand and a stage prop. He does tour with a steel player, though: Bucky Baxter, Larry Campbell, Don Herron.

[Ron Whitfield]

Who knew?

besides half the people on this forum..., I'd say now, it's at least a million and one. You should have gone to the show, the guy's still great.

[Erv Niehaus]

To tell you the truth, I never could stand him and he sure isn't getting better with age.

[Mark Eaton]

To tell you the truth, I never could stand him and he sure isn't getting better with age.

And he's even a fellow Minnesotan! Well, each to his own.

I'm a big Dylan guy - I have tickets for The Bob Dylan Band performing with Mark Knopfler this October at The Greek Theater in Berkeley. I'm a huge Knopfler guy too, so I'm looking forward to this one big time!

[Mark Eaton]

To tell you the truth, I never could stand him and he sure isn't getting better with age.

And he's even a fellow Minnesotan! Well, each to his own.

I'm a big Dylan guy - I have tickets for The Bob Dylan Band performing with Mark Knopfler this October at The Greek Theater in Berkeley. I'm a huge Knopfler guy too, so I'm looking forward to this one big time!

[Stephen Baker]

I'm not much of a Dylan fan either but he did some radio shows for the BBC here in the UK, each with a theme say trains or alcohol. They were amazing! He'd play Webb Pierce followed by The Clash followed by Benny Goodman followed by Bukka White followed by The MC5!! It aired late night weekends and made great listening driving home from gigs. If you didn't care for the track he was playing the next one would be something you loved or something you'd never heard in your life before! They spawned a couple of CDs over here called something like “Bob Dylan's Steam Time Radio Hour”. It really put him up in my estimation.
Steve

[Alvin Blaine]

Funny how some folks here complain about artist who, dress shabby and don't tour with a steel player, then here is Dylan, wearing western suits, and touring with fiddle and steel, and some still complain.

I gave Donnie one of my old Fender 400 steels a few years ago, and he said Dylan liked it so much he had him play it on the whole "Modern Times" album.
Dylan is such a music fan, and a massive music historian. I think he is one of the most important musical artist in the past 100 years.

[Ron Whitfield]

I think he is one of the most important musical artist in the past 100 years.

I agree, yet I've never been one to understand Dylan much, but when I had the chance to stand close enuf to touch his boots as he encored with Blowin' In The Wind, I sure didn't pass it up. Got his set list too!

[Cliff Kane]

....Dylan is such a music fan, and a massive music historian. I think he is one of the most important musical artist in the past 100 years.

Even if you don't like his music, read his memoir, "Chronicals." It is a great read, and is much more about 20th c. American culture and music as it is about him. I think since the whole Dead and Garcia trip, which seemed to cast a dark influence on him, and since he got away from the Lanois records, he has found this latest persona (see the picture) to express himself through, and the bredth of styles he works in his recent albums is wonderful, and his bands on record and tour sound very good and locked in with this latest Dylan. In some ways I think he's in his best form since the work he did with The Band.

[Ron Whitfield]

He really does seem on a roll these last few years, sounding good and up for the road wear.
But watching Garcia kill himself daily with heroin during their tour really did cast a pall on him, put him thru some changes.

[Steve Hinson]

Say what you want to about Dylan...he bought all steel players some time with"Nashville Skyline"...when that happened,all the hippies had to come record in Nashville...Baez,Buffy Ste.Marie,etc...Harrison had Pete Drake come to England no doubt because of the Dylan record...

[Tommy Minniear]

Say what you want to about Dylan...he bought all steel players some time with"Nashville Skyline"...when that happened,all the hippies had to come record in Nashville...Baez,Buffy Ste.Marie,etc...Harrison had Pete Drake come to England no doubt because of the Dylan record...

Good common sense observation, Steve; and I agree.

Dylan has been an influential powerhouse in the world of music for decades.

Anytime an artist of Dylan's caliber has a steel guitar associated with them; it's "all good" for us!

[robert kramer]

Steve Hinson's quote: “Say what you want to about Dylan...he bought all steel players some time with” Nashville Skyline" hits the nail on the head. Here’s a short summary how Dylan bought some time for the steel guitar:

When Dylan signed his Columbia contract he recorded his first six LP’s at the Columbia studios in New York City. In August 1965 – Charlie McCoy was in New York City and called up Dylan's producer Bob Johnston for theater tickets. Johnston invited McCoy to a Dylan session for "Highway 61 Revisited." Dylan knew who McCoy was and actually owned one of Charlie's R&R 45's. There was a gut string leaning against the corner of the studio and McCoy was asked to play it on "Desolation Row." They cut it in one take. This helped Bob Johnston talk Dylan (against the controlling interests of Dylan’s management) into recording in Nashville with Nashville session musicians. Dylan (who knew his country music) agreed and starting February 1966 recorded “Blonde on Blonde” in Nashville at Columbia A on 16th Avenue using Nashville session musicians plus Robbie Robertson and Al Kooper. When Kooper heard Wayne Moss play the guitar he said: “They can’t do that in New York City.” On one song – McCoy who was playing bass picked up a trumpet and played bass and trumpet at the same time. When “Blonde on Blonde” was released July 1966 the Nashville musician’s names were listed on the album. According to Charlie McCoy and Harold Bradley – Dylan’s presence in Nashville started a migration of R&R – pop and folk artists to Nashville to record and this increased work for Nashville musicians.

In the fall of 1967 Dylan recorded “John Wesley Hardin’” in Nashville using just McCoy on bass Kenny Buttrey on drums. Johnston suggested Dylan use a pedal steel and so they hired Pete Drake to play on two tracks: “Down Along the Cove” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.” John Wesley Hardin’” released December 1967 listed McCoy – Buttrey and Pete Drake on the album.

In February 1969 – Dylan recorded “Nashville Skyline” in Nashville with Nashville musicians who were once again listed on the album and with Pete Drake playing steel on all the songs. In July 1969 – Dylan appeared on the nationally syndicated Johnny Cash Show singing “I Threw it All Away” and “Living the Blues” both from “Nashville Skyline.”

In May 1970 – George Harrison – a big Dylan fan – flew Pete Drake to London to work on “All Things Must Pass.” Ringo Starr was also working these sessions and he asked Pete Drake if they could work together on an album. A month later – Ringo flew to Nashville to record "Beaucoups of Blues" with Pete Drake producing using Nashville session musicians including Ben Keith on steel. Once again – Nashville musicians (D.J. Fontana – Charlie McCoy – Jerry Reed – Buddy Harman – Charlie Daniels and others) were credited on the back of the album.

In 1966 – when Dylan first recorded in Nashville – the "Nashville Sound" which was light on steels & fiddles was still around. Thanks in large part to Dylan's influence – by the 1970’s Weldon Myrick – Hal Rugg – Lloyd Green – John Hughey – Pete Drake – Russ Hicks – Stu Basore – Ralph Mooney and Ben Keith would all be busy in the studios and consistently be listed on the back of LP’s recorded in Nashville. The same thing was happening in LA with Buddy Emmons – JayDee Maness – Tom Brumley – Sneaky Pete – Red Rhodes and Dan Dugmore. Artists in all genres would listen to these records – read the backs of the album covers and see these records were recorded in Nashville studios with Nashville session musicians. This would generate more and more work as these artists traveled to Nashville to record.

I think you could also say Dylan’s influence continued past the 60’s and 70’s to influence country music on into the 80’s and beyond and continues to “buy some time” for today’s steel players.

[Steve Hinson]

That's what I was getting at,Bob...dare I say it...we might be out of business even in country music if things had been different.

Mellencamp did the same thing for the fiddle in the'80s,in my opinion...

Thanks,Bob!

[Olli Haavisto]

The last big "boom" group of new steel players started on the instrument via "hippie country" which was born because Bob made it OK to dig country.
I`m one, for sure. There has to be a bunch of players here on the Forum now in their late 50s/ealy 60s who got the steel bug that way. I`m I right ?
Tell your story!
For me, the two songs at the end of side two of John Wesley Harding planted the seed and a few years later when I bought Parsons` Grievous Angel and Home on the road by the NRPS at the same time I had order one....

[Brett Day]

Don Herron, the steel player in Bob's band was a member of the band BR5-49. The nonpedal Fender steels Don played looked and sounded awesome! The GFI Website said that Don also plays GFI pedal steels.

Brett

[Jim Cohen]

Dylan always did have good taste in music stands...

[Jonathan Slyker]

I usually don't jump into these "I like him" "I don't" type of threads.

bust just 2 things.

1. there are extensive past posts to be found about Dylan, once you use the alternate search engine on the website. just a heads up not to re-invent the wheel, so to speak.

2. my 1st exposure to steel (that I can remember) was in '68- Tammy's Stand by Your Man. My 2nd was Bob Dylan-Nashville Skyline. 3rd was 1970, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Grateful Dead, American Beauty. So anybody who likes steel should love the non traditional country artists who used steel way back when. Amen

[Brint Hannay]

In February 1969 - Dylan recorded “Nashville Skyline” in Nashville with Nashville musicians who were once again listed on the album and with Pete Drake playing on all the songs. This LP - released April 1969 - virtually started the “Country Rock” movement and led the Byrds to record “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” March 9–15, Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN and April 4–May 27, 1968, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA using pedal steel guitarists Lloyd Green and Jay Dee Maness. The Byrds appeared on the Grand Ole Opry March 15, 1968 with Lloyd Green backing them on steel.

All in all I agree entirely with the substance of your post, but in the above I do see a chronological discrepancy: Dylan's album recorded on Feb. 1969 couldn't have led to the Byrds appearing on the Opry and recording Sweetheart in early 1968.

Like other things, e.g. Darwin and Wallace coming up with the theory of evolution at the same time independently, "country rock" was apparently an idea whose time had come.

[Jonathan Slyker]

who is Robert Kramer and how does he think causality, even that of a non-physical kind, operates in reverse chronological order-good question.

but glad you entered the date of NS; I'm sure '69 is correct; I first heard it in the summer and it was causing quite a stir among the "hippies and communists."

Not sure if the chronology of '68 for Sweetheart of the Rodeo is correct, I haven't verified it independently.

Moral of the story: country and rock were, are, and will always be close cousins.

Just a question for the discophiles/Dylanophiles, however. I have heard a few recordings, live and otherwise, of "Blue Eyed Jane." The song was written by Jimmy (the brakeman) Rodgers. Hank Snow also covered the song, and Dylan's recordings have pedal steel on them.

Given that Dylan has correctly been charged with ripping off various song writers, especially in his early years (e.g., Corrinna, Corrinna), does anybody know if his albums contain correct credits to Rodgers?

[Jonathan Slyker]

Correction: the song is titled "My Blue Eyed Jane."

[Mark Eaton]

And one of the albums mentioned earlier is John Wesley Harding

[Olli Haavisto]

Brint, John Wesley Harding with the two steel songs was released in 1967. So it may have influenced the Byrds to go country. The idea that the time for a more rustic approach to rock had come is probably closest to the truth. It was happening all over....

[Joachim Kettner]

This is my theory... I can imagine that many amongst the "Rock Crowd" incl. listeners and musicians were quite bewildered by the record. But Dylan had such a good reputation that it was a case of "learn to love it" for many. Covers followed by Jeff Beck, ELP and I guess there are a few more.

The follow up was "Self Portrait" ( with outtakes from Nashville Skyline maybe?) that had many C&W standards. I was amazed that the song "Livin' The Blues" was actually written by him and not from someone like Leon Payne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN4mWaGyKhw