York musician Daniel Lucas, better known as Boss Caine, has joined with other top folk, country and blues performers to form an online supergroup raising funds for food banks.
The Rolling Ramshackle Revue today (Sunday June 21) releases its ensemble recording of the legendary Bob Dylan song, Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts.
More than a dozen artists recorded sections of the song separately, each in their own home studio.
The recording was the idea of Daniel’s friend and fellow performer, Scarborough’s indefatigable Joe Solo, a co-founder of the We Shall Overcome (WSO) movement.
The organisation was launched as a reaction to the 2015 election, in opposition to the government’s austerity programme.
Since then, We Shall Overcome artists have given more than a thousand concerts and performances, raising an estimated £500,000 for food, clothing and bedding for those at the sharp end of those policies.
Said yes immediately
Daniel was asked by the singer Naomi Bedford to get involved.
He told YorkMix: “I said yes straight away as I am a keen supporter of WSO events and a huge Dylan fan.
“I was sent a very basic guide track, the same as everybody else. It really just had Naomi singing all the verses and a bit of acoustic guitar and bass on it.
“We were told which verses to go for and to film the recording process, and everybody did that from home and emailed their part in.
“I knew it would be good because of the quality of the people involved, but it definitely came out better than I expected, given all the limitations of social distancing.
“Also it is great to be on a record with Justin Currie of Del Amitri, such a great songwriter and a voice I have grown up with.”
The band name is a homage to Dylan’s own legendary tour, the Rolling Thunder Revue. Dylan’s song first appeared on his 1975 Blood On The Tracks album, and he has only ever played it live on one occasion, the final night of that 57-date tour, at Salt Lake City in May 1976.
The line-up
At nearly nine minutes long it is one of Dylan’s longer works.
Appropriately for the fund-raising and awareness-raising purpose of this charity effort, it has been described by Tim Riley of National Public Radio as “an intricately evasive allegory about romantic facades that hide criminal motives, and the way one character’s business triggers a series of recriminations from people he doesn’t even know.”
Alongside Dan and Joe, the charity band also includes Paul Simmonds and Phil Odgers (of folk-punk veterans, The Men They Couldn’t Hang), Naomi Bedford (English roots-folk singer), Justin Currie (Scottish singer-songwriter and leader of alt-rockers Del Amitri), Alasdair Roberts (Scottish folk singer with the Furrow Collective), and folk performers Nancy Kerr (Sheffield), Cathy Jordan (Roscommon), Jess Silk (Kingswinford), Ben Webb (Brighton), Ben Walker (Worcester), Carol Hodge (Huddersfield), Liverpool-based blues and country performer Robert Vincent. Horns are played by Joe Lancaster New York Brass Band, sodially distanced from other band members Phil Jones Bass (Tambourine), Scott Smith (Harmonica, Banjo, Pedal Steel), and Noah Bramley (Kick Drums and Production).
All proceeds from the recording will go to community causes chosen by We Shall Overcome.