I was in college when I first heard Linda Ronstadt's cover version of the Buddy Holly song, "That'll Be The Day." I said to a friend of mine Kevin McNamara, who was a musician, "That is a great song, I love that!" He replied that it was a Buddy Holly song. I don't think I really knew from "covers" in those days, until he mentioned it.
Kevin McNamara. (Approximately half of all men in the state of Massachusetts and especially Boston are named that. Seems like it, anyway.
It's like the name John Smith, or Jose Rodriguez.)
Kevin played guitar and sang, & wrote songs. One evening I heard someone singing a Bob Dylan song in the stairwell of the dorm where I lived freshman year, so I followed the sound, and there he was.
I guess I did know that Peter, Paul & Mary had recorded a version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind". So I sort of learned about cover versions gradually as I encountered more music.
About a year later, listening to a bunch of Rolling Stones albums on loan to me from the apartment building manager (a law student), I heard the song "Not Fade Away."
I remember excitedly informing somebody, "Listen to this Rolling Stones song, it's great!" I start playing "Not Fade Away" and was swiftly informed -- 'that's a Buddy Holly song. The Rolling Stones just covered it.'
So, a lot of the great early rock and roll songs, I discovered through cover versions. Even Chuck Berry's "Maybelline" -- the first time I heard it was from a band called The Jaguars, playing in Cambridge. Similar to when I heard "Not Fade Away" and "That'll Be The Day" -- I thought it was something new. I asked the band's lead singer during their break what was the name of that last song, and did he write it.
He loved that.
(to his band-mate) -- "She thought we wrote Maybelline!"
_________________________________
And now, You-Tube Linda Ronstadt's record of "That'll Be The Day" and <PLAY>.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment