Sunday, March 28, 2004

For Polly:

Jamaicans Record Bob Dylan Tribute Album

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Jamaican musicians have recorded a tribute album to Bob Dylan with reggae covers of some of the singer's most well-known songs, the album's distributor said Friday.

"Is It Rolling, Bob" includes 16 songs recorded by veteran performers such as Beres Hammond and new-wave roots groups like Sizzla, said Gary Himelfarb, head of Washington D.C.-based RAS Records.

"Bob Dylan has always been one of my favorite artists," Himelfarb said. "He was a voice of the oppressed in the 1960s, just like Bob Marley was the voice of the oppressed in the 1970s."

Although the album will not be released in the United States and Europe until June, three songs are playing already in Jamaica: "Subterranean Blues" by Sizzla, "Knocking On Heaven's Door" by Luciano and "Just Like a Woman" by Hammond.

Recording took place in Kingston, London and Washington D.C.

Other musicians featured on the album include guitarist Earl Smith, a former guitarist for Marley's band, The Wailers.

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