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Highway 51?
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Subject: Highway 51? From: Terry K Date: 24 Mar 00 - 01:15 PM Some time ago I heard a great driving rhythm n' blues track which I think was titled Highway 51 (but has nothing to do with the Bobby Dylan song) by a guy who I believe was called John Weston (?) - my memory may be faulty on all counts - I since searched for the artist but have not been able to find any reference. But something tells me that someone out there .......... Thanks guys. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: Amos Date: 24 Mar 00 - 01:36 PM Dylan's Hiway 51 is the only song by that name I know of. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: GUEST,Jim Linwood Date: 24 Mar 00 - 01:52 PM Curtis Jones recorded Highway 51 in 1938 and Tommy McClennan did New Highway 51 in 1940. I believe Dylan borrows from both. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: Rick Fielding Date: 24 Mar 00 - 10:39 PM One of the many Dylan bios claims he learned it from Big Joe Williams (who he actually played with). Don't know if Big Joe recorded it but I think he might have. Rick |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: The Beanster Date: 24 Mar 00 - 11:16 PM Went scratchin' around for you a bit and found out that John Weston is a Delta blues musician, born 1927 in Arkansas and still lives there. The good news is, I found a couple of sites with info on his history: Click here and a place where you can buy his 3 CD's if you're interested: Click here But that bad news is, on the second site, if you click on the "More Info" section, the cuts on the CD's are listed and Highway 51 doesn't appear on any of them. I also checked out some Curtis Jones (1906) sites but found no hint that Weston ever recorded the song...maybe it was an obscure live performance tape you heard?? Anyway, maybe these sites will be helpful anyway. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: catspaw49 Date: 24 Mar 00 - 11:26 PM Not to be a complete ly pedantic asshole, but are we all on the same page?
The request is for a song..."Highway 51" Highway 61 runs from Memphis to New Orleans along the river through the delta country. Highway 51 runs through Jackson in the middle of the state through Klan country. So did Big Joe do a 61 or a 51? Are you sure that the song we're looking for is 51 and not 61? Sorry, I just got a bit lost there.....and I can't figure a good reason for a 51, but there probably is...... Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: The Beanster Date: 25 Mar 00 - 12:04 AM Not that I know this stuff off the top of my head but I've been researching and Bob Dylan did do Highway 61, Revisited, but also did a song called Highway 51 (before Highway 61, Revisited, I think). Joe William recorded a few highway songs: Highway 61 Blues, Highway 49 AND Highway 45. Curtis Jones wrote Highway 51. Geez, Louise, this is confusing. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: catspaw49 Date: 25 Mar 00 - 12:13 AM Yeah, I'm confused....I can't find anything on Dylan doing a 51...not that it matters. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: The Beanster Date: 25 Mar 00 - 12:34 AM Spaw, It's on the Bob Dylan album with "Man of Constant Sorrow," "Baby Let Me Follow You Down," etc. Think the album is called "Bob Dylan." (For such a creative guy, he couldn't think of a better album title?) lol If you go to this link mouse here you can find it. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: Terry K Date: 25 Mar 00 - 12:37 AM Spaw, don't be confused, Dylan did Highway 51 on his first album "Bob Dylan". The song is credited to C.Jones (not C.O.Jones, whom the Spanish speakers find so amusing!!). And of course it matters - but only to a few billion of us (I should do one of these Big Grin things to let you all know this is light hearted). I must have picked the wrong title for John Weston, but thanks Beanster for the lead to the CDs and thanks to all for your input. Terry |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: The Beanster Date: 25 Mar 00 - 12:44 AM No prob, Terry--sorry I couldn't help you out. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: catspaw49 Date: 25 Mar 00 - 01:01 AM Shit....I'd forgot about that song entirely being on there...Never was a favorite, although the album may have been some of his better stuff performance wise. I liked most of the early years.....Planet Waves put me to sleep and most everything from that point on was really hit or miss........ So did Big Joe do 51 or 61? and then Bob "modified" 61 for 61 revisited? Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: GUEST,Terry Date: 25 Mar 00 - 01:44 AM Speaking of pedantry, Catspaw, you're right about the route of Hwy 61 going from Memphis to New Orleans, but mistaken about Hwy 51. It doesn't go through Jackson or the center of the state. Instead, it parallels the Miss River about 20 miles east of it from Memphis to Union City near the Kentucky border. You're right about there having been a few klansman along there (Night Riders), though. Both highways provide good songwriting material. Terry from San Diego via Tennessee
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: The Beanster Date: 25 Mar 00 - 05:19 AM Big Joe Williams did Highway 61 Blues. I've never heard it so don't know if Dylan "modified" his Highway 61 Revisited from that or not--although I notice he doesn't give writing credit to Joe Williams on any of the sites I looked at...maybe on the actual album it says?? Maybe it's a totally different song?? Don't know....head spinning...lol |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: catspaw49 Date: 25 Mar 00 - 08:55 AM Geeziz Terry. I thought I was really losing it...I am of course, but that's another story........I knew damn well that 51 goes though Jackson because I used to stay at hotel on 51 just on the north side. Luckily, I reread your post and also the part about SD thru TN and I cancelled the white coat guys and the Insanevac chopper that were on their way to take me to the Neil Young Center for the Terminally Screwed. You're right...51 does not go through Jackson, Tennessee. It does go through Jackson, Mississippi, which is in the center of THAT state! ...and that was where I stayed. Since I was living in Nashville at the time, I never had need to stay in Jackson, Tennessee. By the same token, I never WANTED to stay in Jackson, Mississippi.................... Well since we're nowhere but sorta' somewhere on the 51-61, to revisit or not to revisit thing.........What about 41? In "The Great Compromise" Prine refers to the "drive-in on route 41"......So, considering the interstate ramblings of 41 and that Prine had an association with almost all of those states......Where's the drive-in? And where's my mind for even thinking about it? Is it too late to recall the Insanevac? Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: reggie miles Date: 26 Mar 00 - 12:20 AM I've been singin' "51 Highway Blues" for longer than I can remember. I first heard it performed by my friend Robert Oneman Johnson. He credits it to Big Joe Williams. I was fortunate to catch a series of film shorts some years back at the Folklife festival. The films were of various artists and their versions of this song. Needless to say my version is very different as well and continues its metamorpose. Such is the folk process. |
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Subject: RE: Highway 51? From: Johnhenry'shammer Date: 31 Oct 06 - 09:49 PM Maybe I can help the confusion (or add to it). Despite the common misconception that Curtis Jones is the source of Dylan's "Highway 51", Dylan's version is taken from a song recorded by Tommy McClennan called "New Highway 51". You can listen to an audio sample of the McClennan song here . Maybe that's the song you heard Terry K. |
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