The one singer Bob Dylan believes “could have a smash hit with just about anything”
Bob Dylan doesn’t have a habit of speaking in public very often, and on almost every subject matter, he’s been reserved since 1965. Yet, the one topic that still never fails to engage him to speak with a candid vigour is his favourite songs or artists.
Dylan hasn’t needed to give an interview for decades, as his vast repertoire of material does all the promotion necessary on his behalf. Therefore, he’s been able to keep himself shrouded in mystery, and even at his own shows, fans can go two hours without him uttering a word between songs or revealing his face.
Yet, bizarrely, in the 2000s, he created the compilation album The Music That Matters To Me, which was exclusively sold at Starbucks and consisted of his favourite creations.
Each song was hand-selected by Dylan and provides a rare glimpse into the man behind the mask, including a track by one of his all-time favourite vocalists, Wanda Jackson, that makes him tick.
Jackson rose to prominence in the 1950s and is affectionately known as ‘The Queen of Rockabilly’. She earned the attention of Decca Records as a teenager, who sent her on the road with Elvis Presley in 1956, which was a steep learning curve for a young, inexperienced artist. While she could have crashed and burned under such bright lights, it proved to be transformative. It also helped her find her style, making the switch to rock from country after the run of shows.
Her eponymous debut album was released in 1958, and since then, Jackson has continued to release music at a prolific rate for 60 years. The legendary artist, who announced her retirement in 2019 due to health reasons, has 44 records to her name.
The 1960s were her most successful from a commercial perspective. During this era, she had a string of hits, most notably ‘Right Or Wrong’ and ‘In The Middle Of Heartache’. Yet, for Dylan, her finest creation is the 1956 single ‘I Gotta Know’.
On The Music That Matters To Me, Dylan included ‘I Gotta Know’. The criteria for music on the album were simple, with Dylan stating: “There’s a lot of different ways a record can get under your skin. Sometimes it’s the way they sound, sometimes it’s the words”.
He added, “A great record is more like alchemy. Here’s a bunch of folks who somehow managed to turn lead into gold for a couple of minutes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.”
While his comments in the liner notes are unavailable to find online, Dylan has confessed his love for Jackson on another occasion in concise terms. On the back of her autobiography, a quote from the legendary singer-songwriter reads: “Wanda Jackson, an atomic fireball of a lady, could have a smash hit with just about anything.”
Appropriately, as will become clear, words by Jack White are listed next to Dylan’s, with the Rock and Hall of Fame inductee stating: “She’s influential to every modern female singer, whether they know about her or not. She broke down those walls in the beginning, when it was the hardest to do.”
Poetically, in 2011, White teamed up with Jackson to produce her album The Party Ain’t Over. The LP included a cover of Dylan’s ‘Thunder on the Mountain’ from Modern Times, which was hand-picked by the man himself.
Upon releasing the cover, Jackson said of the cover’s origin: “Jack wanted me to do a Bob song. They’re longstanding friends, and Bob suggested ‘Thunder on the Mountain’.”
Additionally, during another conversation with Rolling Stone, she revealed a hilarious special nickname Dylan gave her: “I’m country music’s first sex symbol, believe it or not. And Bob Dylan called me a ‘Hurricane in Lipstick.'”
Admittedly, Dylan’s comment regarding Jackson’s ability to have a smash hit doesn’t align with her chart records, but his definition of a smash carries more weight than Billboard’s for music fans. If it were based on talent alone, she’d likely have a bundle of number ones to her name, but at the end of the day, the respect from her peers, like Dylan, is priceless in comparison.
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