"Madhouse on Castle Street" - (1962 ) BBC-2 Bob Dylan, Andrew Loog Oldham, David Warner

In late1962 Albert Grossman brought Bob Dylan over to England to perform in a beatnik style drama called "Madhouse on Castle Street" for BBC 2.  The play was written by Evan Jones and directed by Philip Saville. The production featured a  young Bob Dylan, who was soon to become a major star. (You can find the full 57 minute documentary on You Tube. I was unable to upload it here.)

The original film was made between December 18th,1962 and finished by January 3rd, 1963 and broadcast on January 13th. Starring David Warner, Maureen Pryor, James Mellor, and Ursula Howells, the play was about a young man who is so disillusioned with society that he decides to lock himself in his room until society changes. That part was supposed to be played by Bob Dylan, but his inability to learn his lines changed that. Another problem was keeping him on the set. He kept wandering off to smoke pot. 

The play was made with electronic video cameras, but recorded onto film rather than tape. No full copy of the show survives because in those days BBC erased the tapes for re-use. Britain was still suffering shortages of everything due to the Second World War. There were just 2 copies left, but these, too, were destroyed in 1968, which is odd because by that time Dylan was a world wide sucess. 

Peppered with hits of the time, the archival footage provides an insight into the winter of 1962, which was one of the coldest on record. 

Dylan performed 2 songs,  "Ballad of a Gliding Star" and "Blowing in the Wind." His "minder" for the week was Andrew Loog Oldham. He earned £5 for the trouble. This was just before he began to manage the Rolling Stones. 

"Say No to the Devil" by Ian Zack (2015)

This is the story of Reverend Gary Davis, the blind preacher who gave up blues and jazz to play gospel music on the streets of New York City. He lived in Jamaica, Queens in the 1960’s when I was growing up. Along with Moondog; the Viking poet of 6th Avenue; he was an iconic figure in the life of the city.This is the story of how he came to be there and his influences upon modern folk music and even bluegrass. 

If you are a Jorma Kaukonen fan then you are already familiar with Reverend Davis’ work; though you might not even know it. His guitar style was completely his own and his delivery of contemporary classics such as "Hesitation Blues" is a spontaneous romp. While the rest of the country was "discovering" many of the old Delta Blues players like Sun House and John Hurt, Reverend Davis was championing the old time gospel music of his youth.

Instead of the usual review of the book by me, here’s Reverend Davis; let him tell you the story in his own way.

"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - Tom Jones (1969)

This is one of those records which can transport me back to a time and place so vividly that I can still feel the raindrops pelting the car on the side of the road outside Miami in 1969. We were on a road trip to St. Augustine, and then down to Miami, to see my mother's cousin who owned a nightclub there. The music on the car radio ranged from rock to pop to folk to Broadway show tunes.

That's the way it was then. With only the AM radio for entertainment, and no "ear buds", families shared the time, and music, while in the car. It was a good system, and as I've said, I can still feel the rain pelting the car, and see and hear the thunder and lightning raging outside the windows of our 1966 Pontiac. This version of the Tom Jones hit differs only slightly from the released version, but when you watch him sing, it opens a whole new dimension to the song. He's really feeling it.

Although this Tom Jones song was over a year old when we made the trip, I do remember it coming on a few times, especially when we pulled over to wait out that violent thunderstorm. It's a very distinct and pleasureable memory, safe in the car with my parents. And I even remember the follow up song being Bob Dylan's "Lay, Lady, Lay", which my Mom really liked. This was our last vacation together as a family.

This is another song from "Nashville Skyline" which my Mom enjoyed. She said he finally had found his voice. Funny thing was, I was wondering what had happened to it! Great song and great memories...

"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" - Tom T. Hall (Live)

This is one off my favorite songs by one of America’s finest storytellers. That he happens to tell the stories to music is just an added plus; but the stories would stand on their own, even without the melodies. They’re simply that good.

Bob Dylan is great; abstract poetry and activism. It’s great stuff. John Prine writes about the ironies of life. And I love John Prine. But Tom T. Hall writes about the people he has met and what has happened to him in life; and guess what?  His stories reflect more accurately the everyday struggles and emotions of the average person.

Of course there are just some stories made up for plain fun. Listen to “A Week In a County Jail” sometime to hear what I mean. You can listen here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUPqASrmeYs

"Ferlinghetti" with Allen Ginsburg and Bob Dylan (2010)

Most people first came across Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the film “The Last Waltz”, which chronicled the final concert of the group in San Francisco. The year was 1976. Lawrence Ferlinghetti had long ago made his mark on the world, but there were still many who had not read his poetry or even knew his name. 

His version of the Lord’s Prayer will forever be cemented in the minds of millions of movie goers who saw that film. (This version is from the film and is slightly different than the published one.)

“Our father whose art's in heaven

Hollow be thy name unless things change.

Thy kingdom come and gone

Thy will will be undone on Earth, as it isn't Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, at least three times a day

and lead us not into temptation too often on weekdays,

but deliver us from evil

whose presence remains unexplained in thy kingdom of power and

glory.”

Oh, man!"

In this film the poet explores the Beat Generation of poets and writers; many of whom appear in the film crediting Mr. Ferlinghetti with having been an inspiration to them. That list includes, Allen Ginsburg, Bob Dylan and Billy Collins. There are too many names to fit on the cover of this incredibly insightful documentary.

Poetry is one of the oldest arts; before stage and screen. It must have come about after people began telling tales around the fire at night. Certainly past the grunts and sounds which early on served as speech. But I suspect that as soon as words were formed someone started rhyming them, and shortly thereafter came free verse. And poetry has been around long enough to leave a complete account of history. "The Epic of Gilgamesh", an epic poem from Mesopotamia, is believed to date to the 18^th Century B.C.  The Greek tragedies are almost modern by comparison! And the poetry we call the Bible is pretty much contemporary in the grand scheme of things.

This film will inform you and entertain you; it will also help you understand the direction which poetry; and what we came to call the “sub-culture” of the post-war era; took in the most tumultuous years of the late 20^th century. 

For one of my favorite poems by Mr. Ferlinghetti; “I Am Waiting”, use this link;

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171598

Bobby Darin - "Long Line Rider" (1968)

Bobby Darin lived like a man on fire. With so much talent and so little time to nurture it, he had to do it all as quickly as he could. And he succeeded brilliantly, entertaining us all for too short a time, as he went from night club performer, to dancer, folk singer and composer.

This song really caught my attention when I was about 13 or so. It seems that there was a prison farm in Arkansas where the inmates were disappearing at an alarming rate. When all was said and done I believe there were over 100 bodies found beneath the grounds of the prison farm.

The movie “Cool Hand Luke” had just come out the year before, in 1967, just before Mr. Darin went into seclusion in a trailer in Big Sur after RFK's assassination (he was present that night) to write songs and re-invent himself yet again.

The subject matter in this song may seem more suited to Bob Dylan than the usually shark skin suited Bobby Darin, but watch and listen. Check out those dance moves. And notice that in introducing Mr. Darin, the usually flippant Dean Martin doesn’t have a whole lot to say…

To hear the original studio recording of this record, hit this link; and be sure to follow the bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDYt2W_rb3s

“Long Line Rider” by Bobby Darin

Wettin' it down, boss

Wet it down

Wipin' it off, boss

Wipe it off

Doin' ten to twenty hard

Swingin' twelve pounds in the yard

Every day

Every day

I came in with a group of twenty

There ain't left but half as many

In the clay

In the clay

Long line rider, turn away

There's a farm in Arkansas

Got some secrets in its floor

In decay

In decay

You can tell where they're at

Nothin' grows, the ground is flat

Where they lay

Where they lay

Long line rider, turn away

All the records show so clear

Not a single man was here

Anyway

Anyway

That's the tale the warden tells

As he counts his empty shells

By the day

By the day

Hey, long line rider, turn away

Someone screams investigate

Excuse me sir, it's a little late

Let us pray

Let us pray

This kinda thing can't happen here

'Specially not in an election year

Outta my way

Outta my way

Hey, long line rider, turn away

There's a funny taste in the air

Big bulldozers everywhere

Diggin' clay

Turnin' clay

And the ground coughs up some roots

Wearin' denim shirts and boots

Haul 'em away

Haul 'em away

Hey, long line rider, turn away

Well, I heard a brother moan

"Why they plowin' up my home?"

In this way

In this way

I said, "Buddy, shake your gloom

They're just here to make more room

In the clay"

USA

"The Witmark Demos" by Bob Dylan (1962-64)

One of the best things about not having enough money to buy everything you want is that you often come across that item several years later, and, having forgotten all about it, it’s brand new to you. Everyone else may have heard it; all the critics have expressed their views; but for me it’s like finding treasure. It becomes personal; mine; a secret which has apparently passed by all the others who got there first. That’s how this album affected me.

Released in 2010 by Sony Brothers, this unique collection represents the “demos” recorded by Bob Dylan in the first few years of his life as a recording artist. As a result, the collection contains such unusual items as Dylan doing “The Times they Are a Changing” on piano, rather than guitar, It’s more of a hymn than a protest song. I can hardly imagine him lugging a piano around to all those Civil Rights rallies and having the same effect as he did with his guitar upon the millions who saw and heard him.

Almost all of the selections on this album were released on Mr. Dylan’s first 3 albums for Columbia. And even without much change in the arrangements; indeed some were not changed at all; there is more urgency on these tracks than in their final incarnations. There is also a bit of banter with the engineers as he struggles through some of the numbers which lends more of a “live” effect to the songs, making the whole listening experience even better. This is Dylan; alone playing guitar, piano and harmonica; singing the songs he sings best. If you are lucky, as I was, in missing this collection when it was first released; then you are in for a real treat.

Below is the track listing from the rear cover;

________________________________________________

RIP Annette

Annette Funicello appears at 43 seconds.

"Chronicles" by Bob Dylan (2004)

 

 

When I was about 5, or 6 years old, my parents used to take me to the Village; as in Greenwich Village in New York City. It was the thing to do then, back around 1960. The Beatniks were still in presence, and with their goatees and bohemian clothes, made quite an impression on me. These people were exciting in a mysterious, yet non-threatening way. There was a current of change in the air which was almost palpable. I didn’t know it then, but I was sharing the same streets with Bob Dylan as he explored this new world. He was 19 years old and the village would become his home for many years.

Writing in pastel tones, sometimes giving only the flavor of a particular encounter with another musician, Mr. Dylan writes of a time when singers and songwriters, the likes of The Clancy Brothers, Brownie McGhee, the Monk and everyone you can possibly think of, even Tiny Tim, who was working the Village scene as a novelty act, singing 1920’s songs with his ukulele.

He writes vividly of the frigid winters I remember in the city as a child, using phrases that evoke the chill and recall the brilliant starlit nights. In almost poetic fashion he recreates the sordid New York of better years, before the corporations took over, and art was still in the very air.

Moondog; the landmark street poet who roamed the city; usually to be found further uptown from the Village; was present in Mr. Dylan’s world. Dylan; the name. Where did he get it? We all know it came from Dylan Thomas, but what was the creative thinking that changed Robert Zimmerman into Bob Dylan? In an age of Bobby Vee, and Bobby Vinton, what made the author chose his new cognomen? Who was he when he arrived in New York and what was he trying to achieve? All valid questions concerning one of the most influential artists to emerge from the tail end of the “beat” scene.

Drawing on his memories of Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and even the revered Woody Guthrie himself, Mr. Dylan paints a living literary portrait of one of the most creative eras of the 20^th century. He weaves back and forth through the decades of his life in poetic fashion, drawing no attention to the shifts in the narrative from one era to another. He moves ethereally, just as with the visions he created in his own songs.

Unabashedly candid in his recollections; and not always casting himself in the best light; the author lays bare his true sentiments concerning what constitutes “art”, folk music and reality in general. Pushing the boundaries of folk lyrics; while helping to create “folk-rock” music in the bargain; would have been enough for most. With this book, he has established himself as a true craftsman of the memoir as a genre. I should have read this 8 years ago.

The Concert for Bangla Desh (1971)

It was 41 years ago today when the Concert for Bangla Desh was held at New York's Madison Square Garden. I never knew how, but Michael Held got tickets to this concert. For weeks the city had been abuzz with rumors of a hastily arranged concert for the victims of the disasters which were then taking place in Bangladesh (originally spelled as two separate words) a province located in India. Together with the fleeing refugees from Pakistan, there had also been a devastating cyclone in 1970; and coupled with these two tragedies, there was a Civil War going on, with massive atrocities committed against innocent civilians.

After seeing the power of Woodstock in 1969, George Harrison’s friend Ravi Shankar; who was originally from the affected area; approached him, asking if he thought that something could be done within the world of entertainment to help alleviate the misery and devastation being experienced by the hundreds of thousands of victims.

There were two concerts held that day, which was a Sunday. The first show was at noon, with the second show beginning at 7 PM. 40,000 lucky people got to see this historic event, and contribute to the relief of the people in Bangladesh.

The stage was alive with all of rock and roll’s royalty. But the intimate video above is one of my favorite parts of the concert. Bob Dylan being backed by Leon Russell on bass, with George Harrison on his white Fender Stratocaster, accompanied by Ringo Starr on a tambourine, playing Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman.” Does it ever get better than that?

This concert was the blueprint for all of the benefit concerts since then. From Live Aid to Farm Aid, all have their roots in this one event. The immediate effect was over $250,000 being administered by UNICEF, for relief in Bangladesh. After some of the initial problems had been ironed out, the concert continued to generate revenue for the agency, through movie and recording royalties, all of which found its way to the victims for whom it was intended.

But I still don’t know how the hell Michael got that ticket!

"Like A Rolling Stone" - Jimi Hendrix (1967)

With temperatures soaring into the 90’s this week, I thought it was time for a bit of summertime music. This 1967 performance of “Like a Rolling Stone” by Jimi Hendrix certainly qualifies.  Even the dark of night can’t mask the seething delivery of Bob Dylan’s words. And nothing comes close to the mastery Jimi Hendrix had over his guitar. Both his playing, and singing, come across as one. Even at the beginning he is so carried away that he has to excuse himself “while I play my guitar.”

The Monterey Pop Festival was the real precursor to the Woodstock Festival 2 years later. It even had a larger crowd.  Listen carefully at about 5 minutes and 18 seconds into the video, as Hendrix drops an entire verse and comments on it to the rest of the band. This man was so into, and behind, the notes he was playing, that even his mistakes are triumphs.

"Don't Look Back" with Bob Dylan - (1967) D.A. Pennebaker

This is the original, and best film, about Bob Dylan. It was directed by D. A. Pennebaker during the 1965 tour of England and Scotland. The film provides a very raw and realistic look at the artist as he performs, hangs out in the hotel room between concerts, and holds nightly court with the likes of Donovan and other various would be poets and hangers on. My favorite scene in this movie takes place in the hotel room. Dylan is haggling with someone over who the greatest contemporary poets are. Dylan rejects the other man's assertion about Dominic Behan being one of the greats; countering with his own admiration of Allen Ginsberg. Donovan, looking a bit embarrassed at Dylan's semi-drunken tirade, picks up his guitar and plays a song, immediately captivating all present. He then asks Dylan to play "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", which had just come out. Dylan obliges with a truncated, but very powerful, version of the song.

Dylan is constantly plagued by reporters asking really inane questions, and the film shows him as alternately drunken; and sharp witted; as he counters some of the most meaningless questions ever asked of an artist. "Do you care about your music?" is one such perfect example. His answer is at once rambling, sarcastic and biting.

The film also features Joan Baez in some of the performances, as well as in conversation, with Dylan. A rare look inside the world of Bob Dylan circa 1965, the film shows him in a near meltdown when someone tosses a beer bottle out of the hotel window, bringing the management, as well as the police, to the door of his hotel room. He is obnoxious, and bullying in his treatment of many of the people surrounding him. But, at other times his intellect shines brightly, underscoring the genius of his writing.

The movie sometimes appears in its entirety on You Tube, only to be taken down after a day or so, leaving only small bits from the film. It's been a while since I have seen it in the library, or even in the stores. So, you may have to order a copy if you really want to see this extraordinary film. Here is the 4 minute scene of Dylan arguing about poets, with Donovan breaking up the discussion by picking up his guitar to sing; which leads Dylan into "It's All Over Now Baby Blue";

"My Own Love Song" with Renee Zellweger, Forest Whitaker and Nick Nolte (2011)

This is a very unusual film which explores the walls and boundaries, largely of our own creation, that divide us, and how we imprison ourselves within those walls. It's also about what it takes to break free of them.

When Jane, a wheelchair bound former country singer, played by Renee Zellweger, receives a letter from her son, whom she gave up as an infant, the only one who can help her in achieving her goal is Joey, played with brilliance by Forest Whitaker. He speaks to angels, and they speak to him. He has been in, and out, of mental hospitals, where he is drugged to the point at which he can no longer feel. He longs for the day when he can live alone again, just as Jane longs to see the son she gave up. With the obstacles facing this unlikely duo, it's a long shot at best that they will achieve their goals.

When Joey has a breakdown and destroys Jane's home, she is furious. When he sneaks back in the middle of the night to clean up the mess, she isn't any happier. But the incident serves as the catalyst for the two to undertake the seemingly impossible journeys, or achieve the seemingly impossible goals which they have set out upon. But through an unusual set of circumstances, and an equally number of unusual people whom they meet along the way, the two "cripples" wind up doing all they set out to do, and more. They learn that everybody, in their own unique way, is crippled, too. And that knowledge frees them from feeling that they are somehow different, or less capable than anyone else.

An outstanding performance by Nick Nolte, as a washed up guitar player, and a soundtrack featuring original music written and performed by Bob Dylan, help to make this is a somewhat "off beat" film. But that's only at first glance. Just scratch the surface and you will see a little bit of yourself somewhere in this film.

Keith Richards - Mailer Award Winner

"This is one for the books, if you get my drift - you hacks," the 67-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist joked Tuesday as he accepted the Mailer Prize for Distinguished Biography, a prize earned by his million-selling memoir "Life." Wearing tinted glasses, a long scarf around his neck and a wide red band around his sprawl of salt and pepper hair, Richards stood before hundreds dressed in suits and gowns at the Mandarin Hotel in Manhattan and loosened up as if presiding over a celebrity roast. He chuckled. He swore. He reasoned that since he had been writing - songs - since age 16, his appearance at a literary event was not a total "intrusion."

Read the entire article here;

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/publishing/keith-richards-life-wins-mailer-book-prize-1005490752.story

It always pleases me when I have read a book which goes on to win an award. It makes me feel as if I really do know a good book when I read one. Keith Richards, who just last week won the Mailer Award for his autobiography "Life", is a good example. I reviewed that book last January, a few months after its release. It was a very credible work. So, I was not too surprised to see that it garnered the Mailer Award last week in New York City. The Mailer Award, is of course, named after Norman Mailer, the iconic news columnist, and author, who passed away in 2007. I grew up on his columns in the New York Daily News. He was the workingman's writer, a journalist who saw more of the underbelly of New York City than almost anyone else in the 1960's.

In case you missed that review, and to give myself a day of rest, I am re-posting it. If you still haven't read this book, give it a whirl. It's well worth the time.

"Life" by Keith Richards

One of the hardest, and most enjoyable aspects of reviewing this book by Keith Richards, is the enormous amount of information he has to impart to the reader. There are, for instance, the names of many musicians who influenced Mr. Richards, but who are totally unrecognizable to those of us on this side of the Atlantic. Take "Wizz" Jones as an example. Mr. Richards cites him as an early influence. Mr. Jones was a British folk singer along the lines of our own Bob Dylan, and he used to drop by the toilet at the art school where all the kids would hang out and play guitar. This was in Chapter 2, so I had to stop reading and get acquainted with "Wizz" Jones. And thanks to our good friend You Tube, it's not that hard to do. Here is Mr. Wizz Jones, on BBC in 1960;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDsQSOf6_ow

Don't take me wrong, I'm not complaining. This is just the type of book I love! One that will stretch my knowledge of the music I love and where it came from. And this book starts giving on page one! Then it keeps on delivering until the very last page.

I have been a Keith Richards fan since I first heard him singing "Connection" with the Stones in 1966. And when he wrote and sang "You've Got the Silver" on "Let It Bleed" in 1969, I was hooked on Keith Richards for life. The man is a human musical note. He sees most things musically, lyrically. That he is able to then translate these visions and craft them into music that rocks the entire world is amazing. That he has done it for almost 50 years is astounding!

I won't bore you with a review of this book and a rehashing of some of the wilder exploits. It would only cheapen this incredible work by Mr. Richards. Let's just say that there is enough sex, drugs and rock and roll in the book to keep the more voyeuristic amongst us very happy. And to that end, the book delivers very well.

But for those looking to read a more serious side of the man known to millions as "Keef", this book is THE place to be. The author explores every aspect of his life, from growing up in post war England, which was still on rations through 1954, his days at art college, an examination of how the British primary schools worked at the time, and everything else you will need to know in order to measure the man.

Musically, the book is a treasure. Mr. Richards explains his method of guitar playing and song writing, right down to the five string open G tuning which he uses on many of The Rolling Stones records, as well as in concert. This portion of the book was so inspiring that I immediatley retuned one of my guitars so that I could check it out myself. I'll keep you posted on that one!

Exploring his sometimes volatile relationship with Mick Jagger is also a very interesting part of the book. How fame affects different people is fascinating, and even more so when told by someone who has lived it.

From the early Bohemian days of the Rolling Stones, founded by Ian Stewart, to the chaotic days of Brian Jones death, and then on through the politics and drug scandals of the late 1990's and beyond, this book is a ticking bomb. Each page explodes with information about the music business, touring, and the petty differences that can plague old friendships on the road.

Many people will be interested in the history of Keith Richards drug use, and on this subject, once again, he dishes up the full story. He does not, as I have read in other reviews, glorify drug use at all, rather he just tells it the way it is. You make the choices for yourself. This whole topic of hard drug use is an education in itself, and written honestly by someone who has been through it all, several times.

The legal problems of the 1970's, when Mr. Richards was under indictment in Canada for trafficking, is of special interest. It is the typical story of a Government catching a tiger by the tail and not knowing what to do with it. And the story of the blind girl, who helps to influence the decision of the judge, will really let you in on who Keith Richards is beneath the surface. I'm no spoiler, so you'll have to read the book if you want to hear that one.

This book holds nothing back. Mr. Richards is completely candid about his family life and the book contains just enough photos to let you peek inside of that world. When dealing with the loss of his infant son Tara, in 1979, he moved me to tears, no exaggeration, and I'm a pretty hard case when it comes to that sort of thing.

His stories are, at times, interspersed with an account of the same event, told from someone else's point of view. This lends credibility to many of the more amazing stories. And there are many!

There are a couple of extra special portions of the book for me. One is the description of the making of the film "Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll", made in 1988. Keith Richards had always been a big fan of Chuck Berry's, but felt that Chuck had been touring for so long, using only "pick up" bands in each town, that he had lost his edge. So he put together a group to back Chuck Berry, with Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, Bobby Keys on sax, and a host of others, including Chuck Berry's original piano player, Johnnie Johnson. Actually, it had been Mr. Johnson's band until Chuck Berry took it over. That film has always been very special to me and it was nice to hear how it all came together.

But the most impressive thing to me was the phone call from Hoagy Carmichael, the man who wrote "Stardust" and a million other songs back in the 1930's through the 50's. The man who was friends with Bix Biederbicke. The man who co-starred with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not." He called to say that he had heard a version of Keith doing "The Nearness of You", which had been written in the 1940's. It was a slow song, but Keith had done a tape of it for his lawyer, and had stepped it up to a barrelhouse piano number. He was knocked for a loop when Mr. Carmichael told him that this was the way he originally had envisioned the song.This was only 6 months before Hoagy Carmichael died, and Mr. Richards relishes that call to this very day.

I could go on and on about this book. But it would be better if you'd just read it. This is the side of Keith Richards that so many of his fans have embraced over the years. It is also a side of him that many do not know. Great book.

The Concert for Bangla Desh

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Concert for Bangla Desh. In comparison to today, the concert is almost dated, but it is arguably the first of the "benefit" concerts, as defined by today's standards. This clip is a great example of the mixing and matching of different musicians, irrespective of record company contracts, which was almost normal for the times. Musicians were starting to really assert themselves in taking control, and direction, of their own careers. This is one of the best "pick up" bands ever assembled for a song or two. Leon Russell is on bass, Bob Dylan and George Harrison are trading ryhthm; note that Harrison is transposing by sight, while Dylan is using s capo; and Ringo is just thrilled to be there, letting everyone know, just by his presence, that everything would be alright, "with a little help" from his friends.

William Zantzinger - Rural Aristocrat

This is a photo of William Zantzinger, in handcuffs, being led from The Emerson Hotel in Baltimore, after having bludgeoned Hattie Carroll into a coma, and subsequently her death, for not moving fast enough when serving him. The date was February 8th, 1963.

I was listening to some old Bob Dylan today when I was reminded of his song, "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll", which became a rallying cry in the cause of Civil Rights. This is a link to Bob Dylan performing the song sometime in 1964.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTRUe33hC1U&feature=related

The story behind the song is interesting in 2 ways. Let's start on the bus coming back from Washington DC after the "I Have A Dream Speech" on August 28th, 1963. The assault of Ms. Carroll had taken place in February of that year, but was confined mostly to the local papers. Mr. Dylan, riding the bus back to NY, read about the trial and wrote the song in NY at his apartment, later finishing it at Joan Baez' home in Nyack. He recorded it in October and and began to sing it around the country at protest marches. Although never a monster hit, the song is an important one, in that is is based entirely on fact, although Dylan cleverly omits the "t" in Zantzinger, which was helpful when Mr. Zantzinger tried to sue him for slander.

I was totally unfamilar with this story until I moved to Baltimore in 1981.When I first lived there the Emerson Hotel was in it's last days. The place was enormous and had a fine restaurant on the ground floor. A friend of mine worked there as a waitress until she was fired for being underage. But she was the one who first introduced me to the story behind the song. At the time of the actual event, I was only 10 years old and living in Brooklyn. I have no recollection of the story at the time, and never would have dreamt that I would one day not only be a regular visitor to the hotel, but that I would meet one of the kitchen staff who had been on duty the night Hattie Carroll was beaten by William Zantzinger. These are the agreed upon events and the order in which they unfolded;

Mr. Zantzinger, along with his wife, began to drink early on the afternoon of Friday February 8th, 1963, and continued on into the night. He was a nasty drunk, at times verbally and physically abusive, even to his wife. During his druken spree he struck one of the bellhops with his cane and shouted at a waitress, "Hey, niger, bring me a drink." He was so drunk that at one point he collapsed on top of his wife while they were dancing. He then returned to the bar, demanding another drink from Hattie Carroll, the 51 year old black barmaid. She had a family of 11 children and also had heart problems. Addressing him politely she said, "Just a minute, sir." This enraged the drunken Zantzinger. Blacks did not act that way in his native Charles County, and he was not used to waiting for anything.

He began to verbally abuse Ms. Carroll, while at the same time striking her about the head with his cane. She immediately served him the bourbon that he had demanded and then stepped away from the bar, remarking to her co-workers that "that man has done got me ill."

An ambulance was called but it was already too late. Hattie Carroll would die the next day as the result of a stroke brought on by the indignity of being struck by Mr. Zantzinger.

Zantzinger was a "rural aristocrat", meaning that he was the son of an influential local planter, and as such, was treated with kid gloves during both his trial and sentencing. He was even freed after the sentencing so that he could finish harvesting his crops, which were substantial in value when compared to the life of a mother of 11. He subsequently did six months in jail, where he was treated as a celebrity, and additionally was fined $625.

After his sentence he returned to his home, had 3 kids, divorced, married again and moved to another county where he sold real estate until his death sometime in the 1990's. He died never having expressed remorse for his crime.