Bob Dylan - Folksinger's Choice

1. (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle (Hank Williams / Jimmy Davies)
2. Fixin’ To Die (Bukka White)
3. Smokestack Lightning (Burnett)
4. Hard Travelin’ (Woody Guthrie)
5. The Death Of Emmett Till (Dylan)
6. Standing On The Highway (Dylan)
7. Roll On, John (trad., arr. Bob Dylan)
8. Stealin’, Stealin’ (trad., arr. Memphis Jug Band)
9. Makes a Long Time Man Feel Bad (trad.)
10. Baby Please Don’t Go (Big Joe Williams)
11. Hard Times In New York Town (Dylan)

Not yet 21 and with his first album still unreleased, a largely unknown Bob Dylan was invited by New York’s WBAI radio to perform a live broadcast for Cynthia Gooding’s Folksinger’s Choice programme on March 11th 1962. This legendary recording, available here for the first time, illustrates perfectly the scope and manner of Dylan’s live repertoire in the months leading up to his debut release.

In addition to the three originals, all newly minted by Dylan, he covers songs by the likes of Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie and Big Joe Williams, but interestingly does not perform any tracks that would feature on his first record just weeks from release at the time of this broadcast. ‘Folksinger’s Choice’ also contains the only known Dylan performances of Smokestack Lightning, Hard Travelin’ and Roll On, John’ and features the first known outings of The Death Of Emmett Till and Standing On The Highway.

The 11 songs performed are liberally interspersed with chat between Bob and Cynthia, however, far from spoiling the show, this only go to enhance one of the best early recordings we have of Bob Dylan, making this CD an incredibly important early document.