John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen. Hammond retired from Columbia Records in 1975. Hammond was the producer who signed Bob Dylan to Columbia in 1962.

Bob Dylan singing Hurricane for the John Hammond tribute

From PBS American Masters 1990 John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen

The PBS special was released on VHS  and Laser-disc in 1990. Both are out of print. Amazon is offering used copies of the VHS: John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen [VHS]

Text from DylanTube

This is a very special performance from Dylan and 3 band members Scarlet Rivera on violin, Rob Stoner on bass and Howie Wyeth on drums. They toured with Dylan in 1975 as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue.

The tour began the following month after this performance. Dylan’s voice is awesome in this period bearing some gruff and tenderness. At this stage Bob is starting to really wave his voice around and if you listen to the album ‘Street Legal’ recorded in 1978 you’ll hear a transformation in his singing that began in the mid 70s. Bob Dylan just keeps on progressing if you ask me.

The band is highly dynamic with Howie Wyeth keeping a tight beat and Scarlet Rivera playing gypsy style violin. Rob Stoner is a fantastic bass player who seems to be able to do anything. Rob and Howie were an established rhythm section before they played with Dylan.

Hurricane by Bob Dylan

Video portion copyright PBS/CBS 1990 used under fair use / fair play as part of a news story or critique. We recommend users purchase their music and video.