25-Year Fan Shares How Dylan and Highway 61 Revisited Helped Her Through

This past month John Bushey, host of the KUMD radio program Highway 61 Revisited, began inviting people to the KUMD studios to interview for a series of shows promoting tonight's 25th Anniversary celebration of the show. As a regular listener and member of the Bob Dylan Way committee that puts on the annual Duluth Dylan Fest, I was invited to the UMD campus to tell my story and pick a song from the Dylan archives. While there I met Phoebe Smith and had a chance to hear her story. Upon hearing, I knew I wanted to share it.

There have been a lot of great stories told on the air these past few weeks. As a regular listener I found each one moving. Thank you John for these 25 years of sharing these 25 years of often rare versions of Dylan's music, and for sharing your listeners' stories this past month. And thank you Phoebe, for contributing your story here.

EN: How did you become a fan of Dylan's music?

Phoebe Smith: First I would like to preface this, Ed, by thanking you for promoting John Bushey's 25th radio show anniversary. I was in the 8th grade when John Bushey and my father Moses Smith were talking about his radio show. John and my dad met because they both worked in ISD 709 the Duluth school system. We were all on a yellow school bus every morning for an American Indian summer science camp. John is an educator and was married at the time to the woman running the camp. My father worked in the Indian Education department. I was there because I was a mentor for the Native American summer science (NASS) camp students.

John asked my dad if he ever listened to Bob Dylan and my father answered not really. There was one song my father identified with and that was Hurricane. Dad became fascinated with John's stories about this new radio show he'd just begun doing. I listened to them talking about other music as well.

I started listening to the show during card games in 1991. I listened to Highway 61 Revisited online when I lived out of state.

I've been to a number of concerts over the years. My eldest child has gone to a few shows with me, too. My youngest isn't old enough to go yet.

I love the music and seemed to get it at a young age. It's hard to explain adequately how as a younger person I understood the complexity of the emotions expressed and experienced in the songs. As with any music it's about how you relate with it.

I'm a radio dee-jay, for both commercial and public radio stations in two states, for over 20 years. Music has been instrumental in my everyday life as far back as I can remember. I experienced many genres of music from American Indian powwow music and a cross sector of modern mainstream music. Somewhere in the mix of melodic sounds coming from my home, car, and earbuds Bob Dylan's music rose to the top of my list.

EN: You told a story of how Dylan's music got you through a rough patch in your life. Can you elaborate on this?

PS: I suspect that everyone has bad times and good. My story isn't much different but like I've said my life has naturally had music incorporated into it. I will give an example; there was a time when I had gotten into a disagreement with an ex boyfriend and was left 30 miles out of town. I walked to my former home in Missoula, Montana where I had been living at the time. It took what seemed like forever to get there and I sang most of Dylan's musical catalog as I walked. It's funny to look back on it now but I suppose that is one fine example. The music helped me keep up the pace as I walked.

EN: Did you say you've been listening to John Bushey's show from the beginning? How did you discover the show and what is it that keeps you coming back for more

PS: I have been listening since 1991 and glad that I found it. I would listen online when I was homesick, living or traveling elsewhere in the United States before I boomeranged home to Duluth. I am very thankful to have met John Bushey. I continue to listen to the show for all of the live Bob Dylan music. I am happy and honored to have witnessed all 25 years of KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited with your host John Bushey.  

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Tonight's party will be at The Rex, downstairs in the Fitgers complex. If you come, you'll meet a lot of interesting people, many who are here from out of town for this occasion. The music will be great, including Cowboy Angel Blue, the Freewheelers and some special guests including Magic Marc Percansky as Master of Ceremonies. John Bushey is being honored with a mayoral proclamation for his 25 years as a radio magician weaving together so many fabulous shows without remuneration. (Yes, it's a labor of love.) John "followed his bliss" and as a result enriched a multitude.

Oh, and yes, we will be honoring Mr. Dylan, too, for his latest achievement, the Nobel Prize for Literature. Will you join us?

Highway 61 Revisited -- A Few Notes About the Song and the Show

Last night's KUMD radio show Highway 61 Revisited was devoted to testimonies about the show and what it has meant to so many listeners over the course of 25 years. Host John Bushey brought various guests and friends into the studio to share stories and pick a favorite song for him to play. You could tell by everyone's comments during the hour that John is much loved and appreciated.

In 2014 I had a chance to interview John and learned about a few of his other passions beyond Dylan, though in reality they're all quite inter-related. It's a good read worth revisiting.

In thinking about this radio program it dawned on me that I've never written anything about the song itself, and thought it worthy of some attention as we head toward next Saturday's 25th anniversary celebration of the show.

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John Bushey's weekly Dylan hour, of course, took its name from the ground-breaking album of the same name, just as Rolling Stone magazine pilfered its name from the Dylan song. The song is so surreal that even long-time listeners might fail to get its significance without a few clues.

First Clue: Highway 61 is a real place. 
If you grow up in some other part of the world, Highway 61 probably has little real meaning or connection to this part of the world. Many of Dylan's songs, however, have literal geographic references (e.g. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Tonight.) That Highway 61 is in Northern Minnesota would only seem significant as a marker on a map that gets included in a song by a Minnesota songwriter. But the highway is much more than this, as will soon be noted.

My first trip to Mexico took place at Christmastime 1977. It surprised me -- but made a noticeable impact -- to learn that Highway 35 that runs through Duluth is the only road you need to know, a direct route to the Border. Roads are like ribbons that connect places.

So it is that Highway 61 is also an Ariadne's thread that helps pull one through the labyrinthine lyrics of this song or, literally, across the midsection of the country from North to South.

Second Clue: The Crossroads
Highway 35 takes you south to the border. Highway 61 carries you south to the Mississippi Delta, home of the blues. In fact, it's nicknamed the Blues Highway as it runs through Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. At one end of Highway 61 you find the Iron Range and the North Country. At the other end you find the roots of American blues music.

Along the way, there in the Deep South, you find the crossroads where Robert Johnson purportedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his ability to play the blues, at the intersection where 61 crosses Route 49. (See Oh Brother Where Art Thou.) This story of Robert Johnson has achieved legendary stature in the music world. (Read more about Robert Johnson and Crossroads here.)

Third Clue: Abraham

John Bushey @ Cheapo Discs, Minneapolis*

It's such a strange opening line. God said to Abraham, 'Kill me me a son....'  This was written while the Supremes were signing "Stop in the name of love" and Herman's Hermits were singing "Can't you hear my heartbeat." The Beatles were making "Help" and the Beach Boys were singing "Help Me Rhonda."

Historically, knowing the stories of the Bible was an aspect of cultural literacy. I'm not sure how well known these stories are any more. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, you can find the seminal tale of how a man named Abram was called by God to leave his father's home to go live in another land. Beginning in chapter 12 we see a series of incidents in which Abram becomes Abraham, the historical Patriarch of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It is a series of stories about the development of his faith, and the covenant God made with him. The specific story referenced in this song takes place in Genesis 22.

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For more about this song, you can check out Tony Atwood's dissection here at his Untold Dylan blog, which begins with Atwood noting that Dylan's father was also named Abraham.

Dylan has performed this song live nearly 1800 times over the past 50 years, including Friday night at Desert Trip. One of my favorite versions is the opening track on his Real Live album, performed during his 1984 European Tour.

Highway 61 Revisited 

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
God says, “Out on Highway 61”

Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose
Welfare Department they wouldn’t give him no clothes
He asked poor Howard where can I go
Howard said there’s only one place I know
Sam said tell me quick man I got to run
Ol’ Howard just pointed with his gun
And said that way down on Highway 61

Well Mack the Finger said to Louie the King
I got forty red, white and blue shoestrings
And a thousand telephones that don’t ring
Do you know where I can get rid of these things
And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son
And he said yes I think it can be easily done
Just take everything down to Highway 61

Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told the first father that things weren’t right
My complexion she said is much too white
He said come here and step into the light, he says hmm you’re right
Let me tell the second mother this has been done
But the second mother was with the seventh son
And they were both out on Highway 61

Now the rovin’ gambler he was very bored
He was tryin’ to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes I think it can be very easily done
We’ll just put some bleachers out in the sun
And have it on Highway 61
Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

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The celebration next weekend is at The Rex inside the Fitger's Complex in Duluth. The event will feature live music by Cowboy Angel Blue and The Boomchucks (a.k.a. The Freewheelers) plus (rumor has it) an assortment of special guests. I'm expecting surprises. Magic Marc Percansky will be on hand as Master of Ceremonies, so you can count on this being a very special evening. 

There will also be quite a few items generously donated for a silent auction to defray costs and provide seed money for next year's Duluth Dylan Fest. (Here's a link to a few of these items.)

For tickets visit Eventbrite. 

See you at the show.

*The album in John's hands is Bringing It All Back Home, signed and submitted to the show for this event. The mural on the wall at Cheapo Discs (a.k.a. Cheapo Records) features Highway 61 Revisited.

9 More Reasons Dylan Fans Should Join Us at the Rex

Yesterday I shared 7 Reasons to join us October 15 at The Rex @ Fitger's in Duluth to celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Bushey's KUMD  radio program Highway 61 Revisited. In addition to an evening of fun and memorable music (Cowboy Angel Blue and The Freewheelers, plus special guests) there will be a silent auction with many unusual and rare Dylan-themed collectibles.Take a peek here at what's in store. Moneys raised from goods sold will be used to defray the costs associated with this event. Whatever else is procured will be used as seed money for the 2017 Duluth Dylan Fest. (If you see something you really want and are outbid, there is an ATM machine inside the Fitgers complex. Just so you know.)

Here are some items to be auctioned in addition to the ones shown yesterday....

This vinyl of Blood on the Tracks...

...has exceedingly rare back cover art.

Bob Dylan personally signed & sent this for the occasion.

A truly great album.

Not sold in stores!

Joan likewise signed and sent something special.

This Dylan vinyl is translucent red, from Asia.

Super rare poster. (I would like to hear more about this event.)

Four books signed by their respective authors.

Join us at The Rex.

Get your tickets here.

He not busy being born is busy dying. 

Let's stay forever young!

Join Us As We Celebrate 25 Years of KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited and John Bushey's Dylan-Themed Radio Hour

That's a long title for this short blog post, but I'm gonna run with it. I considered simply saying Mark Your Calendars.

In four weeks The Rex Bar @ Fitgers will play host to a very special celebration: 25 years of the KUMD program hosted by John Bushey called Highway 61 Revisited. Here in the Northland Highway 61 literally runs through our back yards. The show showcases the music and influence of the Northland's native son, Bob Dylan.

The event will feature live music by Cowboy Angel Blue and The Boomchucks (a.k.a. The Freewheelers) plus (rumor has it) an assortment of special guests. I'm expecting surprises.

Magic Marc Percansky will be on hand as Master of Ceremonies, so you can count on this being a very special evening.

Noteworthy: There will be some unusual items donated for a silent auction that will include, so I've been told, a few items from the Bill Pagel collection. Money raised will be used to defray costs for the event and as set aside as seed money for the 2017 Duluth Dylan Fest.

Last night I was up at the KUMD Studios where John was interviewing guests for an upcoming special show promoting this event. He was gathering stories about how the show, and Dylan's music, has touched people over the years. At the end of each interview he asked people to select a song for him to play.

What Dylan song would you ask John to play if you were there in the studio? How would you narrow it down? Would you choose the first song that really spoke to you, or the one that is going through your mind more recently? Would you narrow it down by a favorite from each decade? One could pick a favorite from each album and do brackets, like March Madness? One could perhaps pick the songs you have played most through the years... or the ones others claim are the most important.

My short list would include, but not be limited to: Hard Rain, It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Desolation Row and All Along the Watchtower from the 60s, and from the 70s...  You see what a dilemma it quickly becomes.

To purchase tickets, visit Eventbrite. Special thanks to KUMD, the Duluth Dylan Fest Committee, the Rex Bar and everyone else who is helping to make this event happen.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Get into it.