By Jürg Lehmann
Claus Hempler and Eric Bibb&Habib Koité stand out in this period with two completely different interpretations. Hempler, a Danish singer/songwriter was part of the ground-breaking Dylan Teaterkoncert project, and he also performed as entertainment with a menagerie of Danish musicians at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, but obviously did not succeed in hitting the ESC spirit. Hempler approaches things without undue reverence; his 2010 version of Blowin’ in the Wind illustrates his love of experimentation, the ambivalence between seriousness and fun.
Two exceptional musicians from their respective genres meet as a duo – on the one hand, there is Eric Bibb, one of the stand-out musicians of American blues. And there is Habib Koité. Koité lives in Bamako, Mali, and has long been one of Africa’s most successful and influential musicians, Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt being among his biggest unsolicited fans. The ‘Brothers in Bamako’ project from 2012 combines two musical styles from blues, folk, reggae and West African ethnic music, which is very expressive despite its simplicity and minimalism; it leaves its mark on Blowin’ in the Wind. David Bowling is right when he notes that Bibb and Koité take the song to places it has rarely, if ever, travelled. Bibb’s vocal, Koite’s rhythms, and the blending of Olli Haavisto’s pedal steel into the mix creates an intriguing and memorable performance.
Over the past 15 years, there has been a steady stream of renditions, some of them are very well done and definitely worth hearing.
Regina McCrary has a long history with Dylan, as a backing singer in his shows and on his records during the 1979 to 1981 period. In 1981, she actually co-wrote a song with Dylan called ‘Give Him My All’. Every now and then the four McCrary Sisters joined Dylan for his encore and supplied backing vocals for “Blowin’ in the Wind”. Tony Attwood describes their own version of the song (2012) as “refreshing and giving him new faith in musical arrangers.”
The most surprising thing about this cover is that the Swedish sleaze rock band Vains of Jenna even came up with Blowin’ in the Wind (2011). The song is miles away from their usual repertoire; if they’re going to do Dylan, you’d expect them to choose a different song. But here it is.
Hanne Boel sings like the love child of James Brown and Janis Joplin, a critic once stated. Boel is Denmark’s best-selling female artist of all time. For 30+ years she has been at the top of the Danish rock-pop scene, she has released 21 albums in 36 years. Besides Blowin‘ in the Wind (2013) her Dylan repertoire includes a completely rewritten I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and two great covers of Emotionally Yours and Chimes of Freedom.
Scott Hoying is known as the baritone of the a cappella quintet Pentatonix and one-half of the music duo Superfruit. Pentatonix won three Grammy Awards as “the first a cappella group to achieve mainstream success in the modern market“. Superfruit’s YouTube channel has half a billion views. For a dramatic and passionate rendition of Dylan’s classic Hoying teamed up with Julia Harriman and powerhouse vocalist Mario Jose (2016).
Willie Nile included his cover on the superb tribute album Positively Bob (2017).
Japanese-American guitarist, singer and songwriter Kina Grannis is a great example of the self-made stars of the new internet generation. In 2007, Kina joined YouTube, made a music video and entered herself into a contest and came out on top. A few months later, her video for “Message From Your Heart” was aired during the Superbowl and its 97 million viewers and she walked away with a record deal. Since then, she has been touring around the world and continues to regularly release songs on her YouTube channel. In 2017, it was Blowin’ in the Wind.
The Mayries are Matilda Ekevik and Sofi Lindblom, a Stockholm-based duo, who in 2017 started releasing covers with their characteristic harmonies and sound. Their Blowin’ in the Wind is from the 2018 EP Songs of Dylan. The Mayries, states Tony Attwood, offer something so plaintive that I wonder how I could ever not have understood that this is how this song deserves to be played.
In 2019, Jessica Rhaye and the Ramshackle Parade released a tribute album (Just Like a Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan), video clips on YouTube followed shortly after. The homespun feel of the music and the videos call to mind Peter, Paul and Mary. And apparently people like it: Almost 16 million users have streamed Rhaye’s Blowin’ in the Wind on YouTube (2024).
Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara is a multiple Grammy Award nominee, who strives for a symbiosis between synthetic sounds and traditional Malian rhythms. Her unconventional Blowin‘ in the Wind is from the Uncut Magazine album Dylan Revisited (2021). In May 2023 Diawara was invited by France Inter to present her new album ‘London Ko’. As part of her carte blanche, she covered ‘Blowing in the Wind’ a capella.
Power-Haus is a German company specialising in custom music production, as stated on their website. Behind the company is Munich native Christian Reindl whose focus on trailer, movie and gaming composition has garnered a loyal fan base. Spotify lists 150 compositions, Blowin’ in the Wind (2022) has made it there and so has Masters of War. It’s not the kind of music I’d like to listen to every day, but the spherical computer arrangement of Reindl and singer Lloren add an unheard-of sound to the long line of covers.
“Blowin’ in the Wind” is a simple three-chord song that doesn’t have indefinite opportunities to excite in its musical construction. But with a clever, if simple, arrangement, you can still surprise. As does singer and Broadway actress Joanna Alexis Jones (2020) with the help of her Californian producer AG. The versions of Power-Haus and AG/Joanna Jones are both made for licensing purposes.
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In part 4, we consider “Blowin’ in the wind” the jazz versions.