Studs Terkel

The Studs Terkel Reader: My American Century collects the best interviews from eight of Terkel's classic oral histories together with his wonderful original introductions to each book.

The complete audio documentary as broadcast by NPR, plus exclusive bonus interviews and commentary.

On the morning of April 25 1962, directly after the conclusion of his final Freewheelin' Bob Dylan album session, Bob journeyed to Chicago for a live club appearance and a radio interview. The gig, on the evening of the same day, was at a newly opened club called The Bear, in which manager Albert Grossman was a partner. But the primary reason for the 700-mile excursion west was for Dylan to appear on a radio show the following evening, hosted by the extraordinary Studs Terkel. Capturing the entire broadcast, during which Dylan is questioned and discusses with Studs his thoughts and ideas behind both the songs he performs and others he had written by this juncture, this CD contains a legendary event during which a 21 year old Bob Dylan also performs full acoustic versions of 7 self penned numbers. Across just over an hour of airtime, Studs and Bob chat like old friends as Dylan is prompted towards playing certain tracks from his then fairly slim body of work, but comes up trumps by pulling songs not just from his imminent second record, but including one from the album after that and showcasing 3 songs that wouldn't see the light of day on record until the 1990s. Serving both as a historic document of a little known event in the career of a true musical icon, but also as a wholly enjoyable listening experience that stands up to numerous repeat listens.