Susan Tedeschi On Bob Dylan
Susan Tedeschi (photo by Dino Perrucci, PR)
Bob Dylan turns 80 on May 24 and all month long, for our ongoing Album ReCue series, WFUV has invited musicians to choose one Dylan studio album that's meant the most to them. This week, Susan Tedeschi of Tedeschi Trucks Band looks back to an early phase of Dylan's career.
Susan Tedeschi's favorite Bob Dylan album is his most overtly political one, 1964's The Times They Are a-Changin'. With songs serving as a rallying call for social change, Dylan effectively addressed issues of racism and poverty, eloquently expressing heartbreak too.
Tedeschi says this album "really changed my life because it made me realize that not only is music beautiful and healing, but that you can actually tell a story that needs to be told so people know the truth about something, and maybe we can make some changes."
When The Times They Are a-Changin' was first released, the anthemic title track galvanized a generation of people to stand up for what was right. To this very day, the album continues to inspire hope for positive change.
During our "Album ReCue" conversation, Susan shared a story about her dad booing Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, after the musician went electric in 1965. She said her father explained that some in the crowd booed because "it was literally a sign of the times changing, which for them was sad because they felt like they had a voice in him."
This album helps tell the American story: the good and the bad. "It's amazing how this record stands up, year after year," says Tedeschi, "especially right now with all the racial injustice that's going on as well as environmental problems that we have."
On Dylan's birthday, listen to our "80 For 80" countdown as chosen by FUV listeners.
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WFUV's Album ReCue: Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin':
