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 55: It Hurts Me Too

365 Days of Dylan, Day 55: "It Hurts Me Too." Here's Dylan, again with the blues and another cover from Self Portrait.

First recorded by Tampa Red in 1940, Elmore James had a 1957 hit with the song. Junior Wells recorded the song a few times, first in 1962. Here's his version from Essential Blues Masters. This song is also recorde as "(When Things Go Wrong) It Hurts Me Too."

Check out versions by Eric Clapton (solo and with Derek and Dominos) and Mike Bloomfield.

For a breathy, rhythmic take, Listen to First Aid Kit's cover.  And I'm extremely partial to Hound Dog Taylor's sizzling version.

I'm less than a poor guitar player, but I'm going to try to figure out this classic eight-bar blues on my beat-up six-string. Hopefully, if you ever hear me play, it won't hurt you too.

It Hurts Me To, chords and lyrics.

First Aid Kit has a unique way of making a song its own.
This version of "It Hurts Me Too" is no exception.

I like Dylan's cover, but Hound Dog Taylor's is probably my favorite. 

I love the cracking energy of his performance.

Buy "It Hurts Me Too" on Amazon. There's a version for just about every taste.

        

        

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Many YouTube videos featuring performances of "It Hurts Me Too." Here are a few:

Elmore James

The Grateful Dead, from Europe 1972

Foghat, yes, Foghat. Dayton, Ohio, 1997.

The Rolling Stones, 1969

365 Days of Dylan, Day 35: I Could Have Told You

365 Days of Dylan, Day 35: I Could Have Told You, the first cut released from Triplicate, Bob Dylan's upcoming 30-song collection of standards due for a March 31 release.

Continuing his grand tour of the Great American Songbook, Dylan covers this classic tune that's also been performed by Frank Sinatra, Shirley Horn, Mel Tormé, Count Basie and Arthur Prysock, Dinah Washington and Della Reese.

         

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365 Days of Dylan, Day 21: Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)

365 Days of Dylan, Day 21: Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) from Street-Legal (1978), one of Dylan's less-loved albums.

• Greil Marcus' 1978 Rolling Stone review of Street-Legal. Interesting, his comparision of Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) to the Eagle's Hotel California.
• Ultimate Classic Rock's look back at Street-Legal. Evidently, the album did much better in the UK.

Performances by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Tim O'Brien.

From Garcia plays Dylan.

From Red on Blonde, one of my favorite Dylan cover albums. Solid stuff, every song.

Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) lyrics.

Despite negative reviews of Street-Legal, Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) is listed as 100 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs.

        

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365 Days Days of Dylan, Day 16: Chimes of Freedom

365 Days of Dylan, Day 16: Chimes of Freedom from 1964's Another Side of Bob Dylan.

Can you hear them? The chimes of freedom. The sounds of change. The song of hope.

Do you hear the chimes "Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight...?"

Chimes of Freedom lyrics.

It's Monday, January 16, 2017, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the States. I selected "Chimes of Freedom" as today's featured Bob Dylan song.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war.

It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yes, there are reasons to despair. But so many more reasons to hope.

What can we do each day, in small ways, to keep the chimes of freedom flashing?

My country's pledge says it all, "With liberty and justice for all." How do can I work each day to put those words into action?

       

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365 Days of Dylan, Day 14: I Shall Be Released

365 Days of Dylan, Day 14: I Shall Be Released, first heard on The Band's Music from the Big Pink, with so many wonderful versions to follow, including two different ones on Bob Dylan's Official Bootleg releases and a number of live versions too. 

This allstar performance from The Last Waltz.

Of the many covers, I particularly love Nina Simone's...

And Jeff Buckley's.

And there are so many more wonderful versions.

Joe Cocker performed a powerful rendition at Woodstock.

Let's close with this version from Bob Dylan, the ultimate stylist of this and all his songs, from Sidetracks.

At the end of the day, with the setting of the sun, we are all looking for a little rest, a little redemption, a little release.

         

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365 Days of Dylan, Day 13: 32-20 Blues

365 Days of Dylan, Day 13: 32-20 Blues.

Seems like with almost each entry I'm writing about a cover of a Dylan song. Well, Dylan liked to cover too, espeically traditional country, blues and folk songs.

His version of this Robert Johnson classic is from Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Volume 8.

Also, check out covers of 32-20 Blues by by Gov't Mule (featuring Sonny Landreth) and Eric Claption.

But it just sounds and feels to me like Dylan was adhering more closely to the spirit of the original. What do you think?

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365 Days of Dylan, Day 12: When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky

365 Days of Dylan, Day 12: When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky from Empire Burlesque.

I like the alternate take from Dylan's Bootleg Series, Volumes 1-3, Rare and Unreleased, 1963-1991. This version has a cleaner, more straightforward sound. It starts slow and picks up with a cheerful energy.

Then there's Jeff Healey's burning cover, featured in the movie Roadhouse, that starts out sounding more than a little like "All Along the Watchtower."

More performances of "When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky" from YouTube.

Jeff Healey's version from Roadhouse.

When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky lyrics. 

           

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365 Days of Dylan, Day 11: My Back Pages

365 Days of Dylan, Day 11: "My Back Pages," from Another Side of Bob Dylan. This song has one of my favorite lines from any of Dylan's songs (that's saying a lot) that I often repeat:

"Well, I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now."

This is melancholy, introspective Dylan, singing and slinging wisdom beyond his then young years.

 Makes me consider that:

• I'm always a student. The more I learn, the more I have to learn.
• I hope to continue to grow, but never completely grow up.
• I strive to remain open.

Also reminds me of something Jonathan, my son, told me when he was three or four years old:

"Dad, when you get little like me, we can go to kiddie camp (preschool) together and play all day."

"I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now."

"My Back Pages" lyrics.

Again, another amazing cover by The Byrds. They really had that Dylan thing down, didn't they?

Bob Dylan on tour.

           

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What's your favorite Dylan song?

365 Days of Dylan, Day 9: If You See Her, Say 'Hello'

365 Days of Dylan, Day 9: "If You See Her, Say 'Hello'" from one of my favorite Dylan albums, Blood on the Tracks. 

Like many of Dylan's best songs, there are gems in his alternate takes. Here's a version from The Bootleg Series, Volumes 1-3.

"If you see her..." also inspired great covers, even one in Italian by Francesco de Gregori. 

                  

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River Whyless at SPACE in Evanston: Best of 2016

A great live-music memory from 2016 -- River Whyless at SPACE in Evanston in August. They opened the show with a stirring cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe." The band's "We All the Light" is one of my favorite album's of 2016.

Check out upcoming shows at SPACE, one of the best live music venues in the Chicago area.



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Song of the Day for Susan: I Only Have Eyes for You -- The Flamingos

One of the songs that started it all for us. After 25 years, I still, and will always, only have eyes for you.

The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes for You

The original will always be my favorite, but I love Art Garfunkel's rendition, too.

And Old Blue Eyes, too.

Song of the day for Susan: Lucinda Williams - Passionate Kisses

Lucinda Williams - Passionate Kisses

Lyrics.

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Passionate Kisses

Song of the Day for Susan: Otis Redding - Hard to Handle

Otis Redding - Hard to Handle

Love the incredible Otis Redding and love this song. Interestingly enough, it was the Toots in Memphis version that brought me back to the original.

• Hard to Handle lyrics. 
• But Hard to Handle on Amazon. 

Hard to Handle from Toots and the Maytals

Song of the Day for Susan: Whole Wide Word - The Bahamas

Glad we found each other. And we didn't have to go all the way to Tahiti.
Love The Bahamas chill version of this Wreckless Eric tune.

Wreckless Eric's original, with lyrics:

Buy The Whole Wide World by The Bahamas on Amazon.

Buy Wreckless Eric's The Whole Wide World on Amazon. 

Song of the Day for Susan: Shake Sugaree by Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens wonderful cover of the Elizabeth Cotten song. "Shake Sugaree."

And the fabulous original by the truly original Elizabeth Cotten.

Buy Rhiannon Giddens' version of "Shake Sugaree" on Amazon.

Buy Elizabeth Cotton's music on Amazon.

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.