365 Days of Dylan, Day 68: Folsom Prison Blues

365 Days of Dylan, Day 68: Folsom Prison Blues from The Basement Tapes Sampler: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 11. Dylan plays Cash.

Dylan and the Dead, Folsom Prison Blues, Live 1987.

  

Bob Dylan - Folsom Prison Blues (Self Portrait Outtake)

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Celebrate Johnny Cash's Birthday with this Playlist of Cash Covers from Bloodshot Artists

Johnny Cash was born on February 26, 1932.

To help celebrate, the good rockin' folks at Bloodshot Records put together this Spotify playlist of Cash songs covered by Bloodshot artists, including Waco Brothers, Old 97's, Sally Timms and Kelly Hogan. Great stuff.

Any day is a great day to celebrate the life and music of Johnny Cash. And this playlist sure puts me in the mood.

365 Days of Dylan, Day 37: One Too Many Mornings

365 Days of Dylan, Day 37: One Too Many Mornings from Bob Dylan's third album The Times They Are a-Changin' released in 1964. 

Like many of Dylan's songs, One Too Many Mornings had multiple lives, with various live and outtake versions released by Dylan, not to mention a slew of covers from Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dion and even the Association.

One Too Many Mornings, Lyrics.

The originally released version from The Times They are a-Changin'

Live from Hard Rain.

A live version from The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, Bob Dylan Live 1966.

A version from The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, The Basement Tapes.

Johnny Cash from Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, One Too Many Mornings.

Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

Joan Baez from Baez Sings Dylan.

The Highwaymen

Love this version by Jerry Jeff Walker

And Dion, live in 1971 at the Bitter End.

The Association cover Dylan? Why not. Everyone else did.

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Two Songs of the Day for Susan: Joe Henry -- Sparrow and Sunday Mornin' Coming Down.

Joe Henry, an artist I admire, but don't listen too often enough. Fixin' to remedy this starting today.

Joe Henry - Sparrow from the album Invisible Hour. 

Buy on Amazon.

And that was so good, how about one more from Joe Henry, his solid cover of Kris Kristofferson's Sunday Mornin' Coming Down from Americana Fest 2014.

Joe Henry joins an amazing list of artists who've performed this powerful song, including Ray Stevens, Johnny Cash and, of course, Kris Kristofferson. "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down" will also be performed by Kristofferson and Buddy Miller in a cut from the January 29 release Cayamo Sessions at Sea.

Song(s) of the Day for Susan: Fred Eaglesmith Playlist

Seems like it was about 1997 when I started listening to Fred Eaglesmith. I remember first hearing Fred on public radio, maybe it was Morning Edition, reporting on what it was like to be a traveling musician, living out of a bus. Not long after that, I started hearing his music on WNKU. One listen to "105" from Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline and I was a Fredhead for life. Here's a short playlist of Fred song's for Susan's Saturday.

"Wilder than Her" -- one of the first Fred Eaglesmith songs that hooked me and still one of my favorites.

"Johnny Cash" -- Love the big, crunchy Neil Young and Crazy Horse style guitar work.

"Water in the Fuel" -- Along with rural life, so many of Fred's songs are about the necessity and isolation of being on the road. In one place and wishing desperately you were in another.

I also love Kasey Chambers version of "Water in the Fuel."

"18 Wheels" This may be the same driver as the one in "Water in the Fuel," thousands of miles and dozens of years further down the road, running out of pavement. 

Fred Eaglesmith (always) on tour. 

Three of my favorite Fred Eaglesmith releases available on Amazon:

             

August 14 Playlist: All Beat Farmers, All the Time

The Beat Farmers almost ruined me for live music. Two dynamite shows at The Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio, July 1986 and September 1987, were the two most bombastic, wildly enjoyable live music experiences of my life. I could have stopped going to shows right then and lived off the memories of those two performances the rest of my life.

The Beat Farmers' music propelled me through mid- and late-1980s road trips, all-night listening parties and summer BBQs. The band mixed country western and rockabilly sensibilities with chunky, raw power chords. Imagine Buck Owens playing with ACDC. And they had a wild card like no other band before or since -- drummer, singer and raconteur Country Dick Montana.

I loved the originals like "Bigger Stones," "Never Going Back," "Riverside" and "Selfish Heart." And the Farmers had the best taste in covers, from Bruce Springsteen's "Reason to Believe" to Neil Young's "Powderfinger" and Country Dick's rowdy rendition of Johnny Cash's "Big River."

The Beat Farmers - Big River

Sadly, The story of The Beat Farmers ended with Country Dick Montana's untimely death on stage in 1995. But the band's legacy and my memories of two amazing nights at The Canal Street live on.

It's Friday. They are The Beat Farmers. Turn it up.

Nice history of The Beat Farmers by the San Diego Reader.

The Beat Farmers at The Belly Up Tavern, complete show, 1992.

The Beat Farmers, Universal Studios, 1985.

The Beat Farmers - Channel 33 KCOX TV San Diego, 1984.

August 11 Playlist: Kacey Musgraves -- These Boots are Made for Walkin'

I was not quite six years old when Nancy Sinatra released "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" and even at that young age it made quite an impression. In many ways, "These Boots..." was my gateway song to "Dusty in Memphis," Dean Martin's "Houston," Roger Miller's "King of the Road" and The Johnny Cash Show.

Yes, "Houston" and "King of the Road" were both released a few years earlier than "These Boots...," but this was the 1960s when songs hung around longer than a wink and a whistle. One of the great things about discovering a breakthrough favorite song is that it takes you both back in time and into the future.

Written by long-time Sinatra collaborator and unsung American music legend Lee Hazelwood, "These Boots..." combined rock attitude with country sass. And Sinatra's delivery was pure rocket fuel.

"These Boots..." as been covered by artists as diverse as Loretta Lynn, Jewel and Megadeath. More recently, Kacey Musgraves has taken her boots for a spin and she delivers. Not only is it a great cover in its own right, but it cleanses the palette nicely from that unfortunate Jessica Simpson version.