james river valley library may 2020he has songs and albums that range through folk, rock, blues,...
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Library News James River Valley Library
May 2020
DVD Review of Bluebird: An Accidental Landmark that Changed Music History
By Mary Jane Westerhausen
If you’re a country music fan, especially if you like to hear singer/songwriters, this movie is for you. I had heard of the Bluebird Cafe years ago. I think I had read about it in a magazine. The Bluebird Cafe is in Nashville, TN. Originally, a young woman wanted to start her own cafe. She did, and soon decided it would be a good draw to ask aspiring singers to perform. Nashville is chockfull of people who would like to make music as a career, so there is no shortage of people who would like to perform at the Bluebird. Over time the Bluebird became known as a place for songwriters to get their songs heard. Soon the Bluebird had to hire someone to audition performers and run the show, as the venue became increasingly popular. One of the reasons that it was the place to go was because some people got their careers launched at the Bluebird. Record producers would go to the show along with many, many fans. Songwriters got their music heard, and then were able to sell it. The Bluebird is a small cafe, so the number of fans who can get in is limited, but it’s always a sell-out crowd. The quote I liked the best from Bluebird is when a patron said to a man after his performance, “You’re so good, you shouldn’t just be doing covers.” He wasn’t doing covers, he was performing original songs he had written that had become chart-toppers when performed by a star. The performance I liked the most from Bluebird was the writer of “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singing his own song. You probably know “Blue Ain’t Your Color” as sung by Keith Urban. It’s well worth listening to by the man who wrote it. All of the performances in this movie are a treat, whether performed by the original artist or by a well-known artist.
Bluebird: An Accidental Landmark that Changed Music History Non-fiction DVD DVD 781.642 BLU
Available for checkout from Alfred Dickey Library
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“I’ll remember you When the wind blows through the piney wood. It was you who came right through, It was you who understood. Though I’d never say That I done it the way That you’d have liked me to. In the end, My dear sweet friend, I’ll remember you.”
~Bob Dylan
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Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, as Robert Zimmerman. He grew up in the mining town of Hibbing, MN. One of his earliest musical experiences was playing the piano for North Dakota-born pop star Bobby Vee. Dylan’s first music was inspired by folk singers, especially Woody Guthrie. Dylan moved to New York City in 1961, quickly gained an
avid following, and ended up being signed by Columbia Records. As he grew as a musician, he experimented with different genres and interpretations of music. This gained him new fans and turned away others who thought he should stick with folk music. Dylan has always been a polarizing figure, but never seems to care what others (especially critics) have to say. He has songs and albums that range through folk, rock, blues, gospel, country/bluegrass, and jazz. Dylan is inimitable. He has such a wide range of songs that nearly everyone can find something to relate to. He discusses positive and negatives of popular culture or cultural figures, history, mythology, religion, spirituality, love, war, justice, and friendship. Dylan has inspired many musicians over his lifetime and has continued to release innovative songs. In fact, since the Covid-19 shutdowns across the country, Bob Dylan has released two previously unreleased songs: “Murder Most Foul” and “I Contain Multitudes.” These are available through his website at www.bobdylan.com. There is one aspect of Dylan that is polarizing, which is his unique voice—people either tend to love it or hate it. Regardless of what you think of his singing, Dylan’s writing has remained constant—enigmatic, poetic, profound, tongue-in-cheek, and folksy. Dylan has won many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Prize for Literature. If you’ve previously not given Bob Dylan a chance, give him another shot today. It won’t affect him, but it might change you.
The Alfred Dickey Library has a number of Bob Dylan’s music CDs available for checkout.
Encyclopedia Britannia: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician
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