Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan | |
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Compilation album by Various Artists | |
Released | 2003 |
Genre | Gospel |
Label | Sony/Columbia |
Producer | Jeffrey Gaskill |
Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan is a tribute album independently produced by Jeffrey Gaskill of Burning Rose Productions, Ltd. and released under license on the Sony/Columbia label in 2003. The compilation features traditional and contemporary gospel singers performing songs written by Bob Dylan during his "born again" period (1979–81).
Five songs on the album had originally appeared in Dylan's own performances on his first Christian album, Slow Train Coming , and six songs had appeared on his second, Saved . There are none taken from his third and last album from this period, Shot of Love .
Dylan himself performs on the album in a duet with Mavis Staples of "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking," which Dylan completely re-wrote and prefaced by some humorous banter between the two. He opened 40 concerts with the new alternate version in the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia and Israel between 2009 and 2011.
The album was produced by Joel Moss, while Jeffrey Gaskill served as executive producer.
Gotta Serve Somebody was Grammy nominated for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album and also Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for the Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples duet but neither of the prizes was won. [1] The New York Times called the record "The best African-American covers of Dylan songs since Jimi Hendrix." [2]
The companion documentary DVD on Image Entertainment premieres 1980 archival footage of Bob Dylan performing "When He Returns" and features interviews with Dylan musicians: Jim Keltner, Spooner Oldham, Regina McCrary, Fred Tackett, Terry Young, Mona Lisa Young and producer Jerry Wexler.
The documentary DVD won Gold Medal for Excellence Audience Choice for Best Music Documentary at Park City Film Music Festival.
All songs by Bob Dylan, except "Saved," written by Bob Dylan and Tim Drummond. "When You Gonna Wake Up" includes additional lyrics by Lee Williams.
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha, Pervis, and Mavis. Yvonne replaced her brother when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and again in 1970. They are best known for their 1970s hits "Respect Yourself", "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready ", and "Let's Do It Again". While the family name is Staples, the group used "Staple" commercially.
Norah Jones is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000's decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.
The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 1980, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1979. This year was notable for being the first year to have a designated category for Rock music.
Slow Train Coming is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979, by Columbia Records. It was Dylan's first album following his conversion to Christianity, and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan's existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.
American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has released 39 studio albums, 95 singles, 18 notable extended plays, 54 music videos, 15 live albums, 16 volumes comprising The Bootleg Series, 29 compilation albums, 22 box sets, seven soundtracks as main contributor, thirteen music home videos and two non-music home videos. Dylan has been the subject of seven documentaries, starred in three theatrical films, appeared in an additional eight films and 10 home videos, and is the subject of the semi-biographical tribute film I'm Not There. He has written and published lyrics, artwork and memoirs in 11 books and three of his songs have been made into children's books. He has done numerous collaborations, appearances and tribute albums. The albums Planet Waves and Before the Flood were initially released on Asylum Records; reissues of those two and all others were on Columbia Records.
"A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is a song written by American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962 and recorded later that year for his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). Its lyrical structure is modeled after the question and answer form of traditional ballads such as "Lord Randall".
Patti Austin is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter.
Saved is the 20th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 23, 1980, by Columbia Records. Saved was the second album of Dylan's "Christian trilogy". It expanded on themes explored on its predecessor Slow Train Coming, with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith.
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is a 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New York in January 1961 and his "retirement" from touring following his motorcycle accident in July 1966. This period encapsulates Dylan's rise to fame as a folk singer and songwriter where he became the center of a cultural and musical upheaval, and continues through the electric controversy surrounding his move to a rock style of music.
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers. During her time in the group, she recorded the hit singles "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again". In 1969, Staples released her self-titled debut solo album.
"Diamonds & Rust" is a song written, composed, and performed by Joan Baez. It was written in November 1974 and released in 1975.
"Gotta Serve Somebody" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the opening track on his 1979 studio album Slow Train Coming. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980. It was later anthologized on the compilation albums Biograph (1985), Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 (1994), The Essential Bob Dylan (2000), The Best of Bob Dylan and Dylan (2007).
Moment of Forever is the 56th studio album by American country music artist Willie Nelson., released on January 29, 2008 on the Lost Highway Records label. A video has been made for the album's first single "Gravedigger", and another video has been made for the track "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore", featuring Jessica Simpson, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Wilson, and Dan Rather. The latter video premiered on the weekend of February 23–24 on MTV.
Tangled Up in Blues: Songs of Bob Dylan is a 1999 album of Bob Dylan songs performed by various artists, featuring blues legends such as R.L. Burnside, Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. Additional artists include Isaac Hayes, Leon Russell, and Dylan's long-time collaborators, The Band.
"Precious Angel" is a song written by Bob Dylan that first appeared on his 1979 album Slow Train Coming. It was also released as a single in the Netherlands. "Precious Angel'" is a religious love song, released during his "born-again Christian" period. Music critic Michael Gray considers it one of the standout tracks on Slow Train Coming.
Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International is a charity compilation album featuring new recordings of compositions by Bob Dylan by multiple artists, released on January 24, 2012. Proceeds from the album were donated to the human rights organization Amnesty International. It debuted in the U.S at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 copies sold while the 2-CD version available at Starbucks debuted at number 38 with more than 10,200 copies sold.
The Bob Dylan Gospel Tour was a concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that consisted of 79 concerts in North America in three legs, lasting from November 1, 1979 to May 21, 1980.
The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 is a set of recordings from 1979 to 1981 by Bob Dylan that showcases the music he wrote and performed during his born-again Christian period, covered in the studio albums Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love.
"When He Returns" is a gospel song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released as the ninth and final track on his 1979 album Slow Train Coming. The title and content of the song explicitly reference the Second Coming of Jesus. In contrast to the bigger band arrangements on the album's other eight tracks, Dylan's vocal on "When He Returns" is accompanied only by Barry Beckett on piano. The song was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama and produced by Jerry Wexler.
"Pressing On" is a gospel song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released as the sixth track on his 1980 album Saved. When the album was released it was considered by many critics to be "one of the few bright spots on the album" and has stood the test of time by being covered by more than half a dozen artists in the 21st century. The song was produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett.