Thirsty Boots

Last updated

"Thirsty Boots" is a civil-rights-era folksong by American singer-songwriter Eric Andersen that first appeared on his 1966 album 'Bout Changes 'n' Things . According to the album's liner notes, the song "was written to a civil rights worker-friend. Having never gone down to Mississippi myself, I wrote the song about coming back."

Cover versions

The song, one of Andersen's best known, has been covered by artists such as Judy Collins, John Denver, Anne Murray, and The Kingston Trio. In various stage appearances, Collins has claimed that Andersen wrote the song's last verse on a matchbook cover while in her bathroom.[ citation needed ]. Eric Andersen tells this story himself in the documentary Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation. [1] Bob Dylan also recorded this song for his 1970 album Self Portrait, but it did not make the final cut; however, it was featured on 2013's The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) , and also released as a single to the album. [2]

Andersen has stated in interviews that Phil Ochs encouraged him to finish the song, and later recordings of "Boots" were dedicated to the late folksinger. [3] [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Times They Are a-Changin</i> (Bob Dylan album) 1964 studio album by Bob Dylan

The Times They Are a-Changin' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 13, 1964 by Columbia Records. Whereas his previous albums Bob Dylan and The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan consisted of original material among cover songs, Dylan's third album was the first to feature only original compositions. The album consists mostly of stark, sparsely arranged ballads concerning issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. The title track is one of Dylan's most famous; many feel that it captures the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.

Suze Rotolo

Susan Elizabeth Rotolo, known as Suze Rotolo, was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964. Dylan later acknowledged her strong influence on his music and art during that period. Rotolo is the woman walking with him on the cover of his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, a photograph by the Columbia Records studio photographer Don Hunstein. In her book A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties, Rotolo described her time with Dylan and other figures in the folk music and bohemian scene in Greenwich Village, New York. She discussed her upbringing as a "red diaper" baby—a child of Communist Party USA members during the McCarthy Era. As an artist, she specialized in artists' books and taught at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

It Aint Me Babe 1964 song by Bob Dylan

"It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album Another Side of Bob Dylan, which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the album, marked a departure for Dylan as he began to explore the possibilities of language and deeper levels of the human experience. Within a year of its release, the song was picked up as a single by folk rock act the Turtles and country artist Johnny Cash.

<i>Self Portrait</i> (Bob Dylan album) 1970 studio album by Bob Dylan

Self Portrait is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 8, 1970, by Columbia Records.

<i>Live at The Gaslight 1962</i> 2005 live album by Bob Dylan

Live at The Gaslight 1962 is a live album including ten songs from early Bob Dylan performances recorded in October 1962 at The Gaslight Cafe in New York City's Greenwich Village. Released in 2005 by Columbia Records, it was originally distributed through an exclusive 18-month deal with Starbucks, after which it was released to the general retail market. The album release coincided with the release of the documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.

<i>King of the Delta Blues Singers</i> 1961 compilation album by Robert Johnson

King of the Delta Blues Singers is a compilation album by American Delta blues musician Robert Johnson, released in 1961 on Columbia Records. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential blues releases. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number 374 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The Gaslight Cafe was a coffeehouse in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Also known as The Village Gaslight, it opened in 1958 and became notable as a venue for folk music and other musical acts. It closed in 1971.

Karen Dalton

Karen J. Dalton was an American folk blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player. She was associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene, particularly with Fred Neil, the Holy Modal Rounders, and Bob Dylan. Although she did not enjoy much commercial success during her lifetime, her music has gained significant recognition since her death. Artists like Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom have noted her as an influence.

Eric Andersen American folk music singer-songwriter

Eric Andersen is an American folk music singer-songwriter, who has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead and many others. Early in his career, in the 1960s, he was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene. After two decades and sixteen albums of solo performance he became a member of the group Danko/Fjeld/Andersen.

Bob Dylan American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, author, and artist

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author and visual artist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture for more than 50 years. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963) and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (1964) became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. His lyrics during this period incorporated a range of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences, defied pop music conventions and appealed to the burgeoning counterculture.

<i>Modern Times</i> (Bob Dylan album) 2006 studio album by Bob Dylan

Modern Times is the 32nd studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 29, 2006 by Columbia Records. The album was the third work in a string of albums by Dylan that garnered wide acclaim from critics. It continued its predecessors' tendencies toward blues, rockabilly and pre-rock balladry, and was self-produced by Dylan under the pseudonym "Jack Frost". Despite the acclaim, the album sparked some debate over its uncredited use of choruses and arrangements from older songs, as well as many lyrical lines taken from the work of 19th-century poet Henry Timrod.

Happy Traum

Happy Traum is an American folk musician who started playing music in the 1950s and became a stalwart of the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock music scene of the 1970s and 1980s. For several years, he studied blues guitar with Brownie McGhee, who was a big influence on his guitar style. Happy is most famously known as one half of Happy and Artie Traum, a duo he began with his brother. They released several albums, including Happy and Artie Traum, Double Back, and Hard Times In The Country. He has continued as a solo artist and as founder of Homespun Music Instruction.

<i>Fifth Album</i> 1965 studio album by Judy Collins

Fifth Album was an album by Judy Collins, released in 1965. It peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.

"I'll Keep It with Mine" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1964, first officially released by folk singer Judy Collins as a single in 1965. Dylan attempted to record the song for his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.

<i>Bout Changes n Things Take 2</i> 1967 studio album by Eric Andersen

'Bout Changes 'n' Things Take 2 is a 1967 album by Eric Andersen and was released on the Vanguard Records label. It is nearly the same album as his previous release, with changes in the song sequencing and the addition of additional instruments.

<i>This Way Is My Way</i> 1969 studio album by Anne Murray

This Way Is My Way is the second studio album by Anne Murray released in 1969 on Capitol Records. Initially the album was only available in Canada, and was later made available in the U.S after Murray's chart success there in the 1970s. The album included recordings of songs by Eric Andersen, Gene MacLellan and Bob Dylan. A single release of "Snowbird" would be issued in the U.S. in 1970, where it would reach the top ten and trigger Murray's career there. The album peaked at No.13 on the Canadian RPM album chart on 20 February 1971.

<i>Bout Changes n Things</i> 1966 studio album by Eric Andersen

'Bout Changes 'n' Things is an album by folk singer Eric Andersen, released in 1966.

<i>The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)</i> 2013 compilation album by Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 27, 2013 on Legacy Records. The eighth installment of the ongoing Bob Dylan Bootleg Series, it consists of unreleased recordings, demo recordings, alternative takes mostly from Dylan's 1970 albums Self Portrait and New Morning, and two live tracks from the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival.

Steve Addabbo

Steve Addabbo is a record producer, songwriter and audio engineer who helped launch the careers of Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. He had a vital hand in Vega's hit single, "Luka" and Colvin's album Steady On.

<i>Changes</i> (Modern Folk Quartet album) 1964 studio album by Modern Folk Quartet

Changes is the second and final studio album by the American folk band the Modern Folk Quartet. It was released in 1964 on the Warner Bros. Records label. The album expands upon the trend set from the group's debut: including interpretations of both traditional and contemporary folk standards, with an increased emphasis on the latter. By the time the Modern Folk Quartet recorded Changes, they were seasoned members of the folk scene, which enabled the group to produce much richer vocal harmonies.

References

  1. Laura Archibald (director) (2012). Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation. New York, NY: Kino Lorber. OCLC   842426241.
  2. "Thirsty Boots | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  3. "home – ERIC ANDERSEN". Ericandersen.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. Andersen, Eric. "'Bout Changes and Things", Liner Notes. Vanguard Records: 1966
  5. "Bout Changes Things by Eric Andersen". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.