Episode 5: The Ballad of Bob and J.R.

Episode 5: The Ballad of Bob and J.R.

Author: Pantheon Media December 30, 2015 Duration: 1:07:43
A quick prologue: we stop by the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where they opened up a very cool exhibit in March of 2015. Then we move on to Newport, Rhode Island, where Pete Seeger is about to introduce Johnny Cash, an established country star playing for the first time to a folk festival audience. After a rough beginning, the show goes very well. Afterwards, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan—mutual fans—meet for the first time and begin a lifelong friendship. We then spend some time getting to know the Man in Black; we learn about the family tragedy that moved J.R. Cash to write and make music. We find out the real origins of “Folsom Prison Blues.” We leave Johnny Cash in Memphis for the meantime, and head north to Hibbing, Minnesota and check in on young Robert Allen Zimmerman. As a teen, Bobby is a leather-jacketed Rock N Roll rebel; but he takes on a new name and identity when he discovers folk music as a freshman at the University of Minnesota. He hears Woody Guthrie, decides he has to meet him, and makes his way to New York City to do just that. We use the lives and music of these two legends to tell about the events of the early Sixties in America. Bob Dylan plays before a tiny crowd in Mississippi and a huge one in Washington DC. Johnny Cash heads to the Far East on a USO tour and hears ominous rumors of new war brewing. And more. We also talk about that whole Bob Dylan: Voice of a Generation thing. We end up back where we started. It’s one year later, at Newport, summer of 1965. Bob Dylan plugs in, and Rock N Roll will never be the same. Another side of Bob Dylan? We think it’s the TRUE side of Bob Dylan. But you can draw your own conclusions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digging through the layers of myth and memory, Rock N Roll Archaeology from Pantheon Media unearths the stories behind the soundtrack of our times. This isn't just a chronological retelling of famous bands and hit songs. Instead, each season functions as a deeply researched audio documentary, meticulously connecting the music to the forces that shaped it and that it, in turn, shaped. You'll hear how specific technological breakthroughs changed how music was made and heard, how political upheavals filtered into lyrics and attitude, and how cultural shifts were both reflected and accelerated by the rock genre. The podcast moves beyond biography to examine the interplay between the recording studio, the stage, the society, and the individual artist. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered not just who played a riff, but why that riff resonated when it did. With a narrative approach that blends storytelling with insightful commentary and a thoughtful touch of musicology, Rock N Roll Archaeology constructs a rich, contextual understanding of this powerful art form. Listen for a perspective that treats rock history as a vital part of our broader history, revealing how the music served as both a catalyst and a chronicle for the changing world from the latter half of the twentieth century into the present day. The production is crafted to be as immersive as the subject matter demands, making each episode a journey into the specific moments where sound, culture, and innovation collided.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Rock N Roll Archaeology
Podcast Episodes
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Duration: 1:07:35
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