Fortunato Chess

I am grateful for all of the birthday wishes.

Bob Dylan: “Highway 61, the main thoroughfare of the country blues, begins about where I began. I always felt like I’d started on it, always had been on it and could go anywhere, even down into the deep Delta country. It was the same road, full of the same contradictions, the same one-horse towns, the same spiritual ancestors … It was my place in the universe, always felt like it was in my blood.”

Of the blues, Bob Dylan once said, “Those old songs are my lexicon and prayer book.” Indeed, the seismic impact of Dylan’s work is largely the result of his life-long study of American music, particularly blues and folk music. In fact, Highway 61 Revisited, one of his signature albums, gets its name from the highway that runs from Duluth, Minnesota (where Dylan was born) straight down to New Orleans. This is a road that cuts through the heart of America and carries with it the rich history of blues music. The blues and rock legends whose hometowns were along this sacred route include B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.

American Writers Museum
📸: Courtesy of Daniel Kramer

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