Happy Birthday, Bob: 40 Philadelphia acts to celebrate Dylan's 75th
All that plus Gene Shay's Dylan memories.
Make that 41. The 10th annual Bob Dylan Birthday Bash hosted by Philadelphia songwriters Jon Houlon and Kenn Kweder, when it takes place Tuesday night - on the Bard's actual 75th birthday - will, in addition to 40 singers each covering one Dylan song, also include an opening monologue by Gene Shay, former Folk Show radio host and Philadelphia Folk Festival MC-comedian, telling the story of bringing Dylan to Philadelphia to perform for the first time in 1963.
This year's soiree, in the upstairs room at Rembrandt's in the Art Musem area, features Houlon and Kweder, as well as Mia Johnson, Ben Arnold, the Molly Blooms, the Philadelphia Ukulele Orchestra, Peter Stone Brown, Lauren Hart, Nalani and Sarina, Hannah Taylor, Dan Reed and Don Van Winkle, and Jim Boggia, among many others. It's free. More info here.
In other Dylan doings, WXPN (88.5-FM) has declared it Dylan Day and will be playing nothing but Bob from 6 a.m. till 7 p.m. Dylan's new album, Fallen Angels, another set of Sinatrian Great American Songbook covers, came out Friday. Steve Klinge's review from Sunday's Inquirer is here. Veteran music journalist Chris Morris' book Together Through Life: A Personal Journey with the Music of Bob Dylan is out next week. Dylan plays the Borgata Event Center on July 10 and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on July 13, with the great Mavis Staples opening both shows.
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is below.
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