On August 28, 1963 Bob Dylan was at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the “March On Washington,” performing “When The Ship Comes In” with Joan Baez and “Only A Pawn In Their Game” solo before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his remarkable “I have a dream” speech.
The video below not only shows Dylan performing the first song with Baez and the second alone, but lets us get a sense of what the event was like.
This was “one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history,” according to Wikipedia.
Peter, Paul & Mary sing “Blowin’ In The Wind” at the March On Washington”:
Peter, Paul & Mary sing “If I Had a Hammer”:
This video includes some of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech:
If you just want to hear Dylan’s songs, here they are:
“When The Ship Comes In,” August 28, 1963 (performed with Joan Baez at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
“Only A Pawn In Their Game,” August 28, 1963 (performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
In theory, Bob Dylan performing with Keith Richards and Ron Wood at Live Aid in 1985 should have been a home run.
One could imagine Richards and Wood adding ragged harmony vocals, and each supplying wiry guitar solos.
Oh but that was not to be. Instead they’re like the two stooges, floundering and posing while Dylan does his best to deliver three of his classics.
Looking at these clips now, I’m surprised at how good Dylan sounds. Despite his loaded buddies, he pulls this three-song set off, even dealing with a busted string.
Ron Wood, Dylan and Keith Richards at Live Aid.
That night there was a private party inside the second floor suite at the Palace Hotel in Philadelphia. I was reporting a cover story on Live Aid for Rolling Stone (August 15, 1985 issue) and managed to get into the party, which was attended by Dylan, Wood and Richards, as well as Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Stephen Stills, former Temptations Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, Jack Nicholson, Neil Young, Miami Vice‘s Don Johnson and others.
I asked Richards what it was like for him to play with Dylan.
“Well it’s not the first time,” he said.
“It’s the first time you’ve played together in public,” I said.
“Yeah, first time before a paying audience. Course we didn’t get paid.” He laughed, and joked, “Would have been better if we’d gotten paid.”
I went up to Dylan and asked if he’d had fun on stage.
“Fun?” he said. “No, we couldn’t hear anything. We had fun rehearsing.”
“Ballad of Hollis Brown”:
“When the Ship Comes In”:
“Blowin’ in the Wind”:
Plus here’s Dylan at the Willie Nelson Tribute Birthday Party, May 1993, singing “Hard Times”:
-– A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –
When Bob Dylan began writing his own material in the early ’60s, he wrote a number of songs dealing in one way or another with racism and the abuse of African Americans in this country. So I thought it fitting on this day in which we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday (he was born January 15, 1929), that we listen to some of the powerful ‘protest’ songs of Bob Dylan.
On August 28, 1963 Bob Dylan was at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the “March On Washington,” performing “When The Ship Comes In” with Joan Baez and “Only A Pawn In Their Game” solo before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his remarkable “I have a dream” speech:
Most of the songs I’ve included below made it onto The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and The Times They Are A-Changin’. One is from Another Side Of Bob Dylan.
One, “The Death Of Emmett Till,” was recorded for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan but didn’t make the cut.
I’ve also included “Maggie’s Farm,” which may not be as direct as some of the earlier songs, but is certainly about the oppression of the poor by the wealthy (and plenty more).
These are powerful songs. They hit home when they were first released, and all these years later they have lost none of their potency.
Certainly great strides have been made in the area of equal rights since the early ’60s, but things are far from perfect. Consider the Supreme Court cutting the Voting Rights Act last year, and the how badly President Obama has been treated by Republicans in the House and Senate. Or the needless death of Trayvon Martin.
These songs are heavy, and they remind us of what’s at stake, and of the power of music.
“When The Ship Comes In,” August 28, 1963 (performed with Joan Baez at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
“Only A Pawn In Their Game,” August 28, 1963 (performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
“Blowin’ In The Wind,” 1963 (Town Hall, New York):
“The Death Of Emmett Till” (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan outtake):
“Oxford Town”:
“Ballad Of Hollis Brown”:
“The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll”:
“Chimes Of Freedom”:
“The Times They Are A-Changin'”:
“Maggie’s Farm”:
-– A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –-
