In 1983, Bob Dylan wrote a song as a tribute to another artist he admired, and the tune lives on as one of the most powerful tracks ever released in honor of a fellow musician. With its bluesy piano and acoustic guitar, “Blind Willie McTell” paints a picture of the American South, musing on the country’s haunting history of slavery and racial violence, inequality, poverty, corruption, and also reflecting on change, all anchored by one resounding sentiment: “And I can tell you one thing / Nobody can sing the blues / Like Blind Willie McTell.”
McTell was a blues and ragtime singer-songwriter and folk guitarist who was born blind in one eye and lost his remaining vision during childhood, according to the African American Registry. Starting his recording career in 1927—working with major record labels like Columbia and Atlantic—he was known for his exclusive use of twelve-string guitar, unusual skill at slide guitar, and smooth tenor voice.
The bluesman may have never gone down as one of the most successful mainstream artists in the industry, but his work inspired many musicians to follow, including Dylan.
Recorded in NYC, the King of Folk penned “Blind Willie McTell” during his Infidels studio sessions, but the song never made it onto the actual album; it was later released in 1991 as part of The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3. Though written with an obvious tribute to McTell, the powerful song is not actually about him, in a traditional sense. Instead, the lyrics suggest that the intense level of human suffering endured over time has not been accurately described in history; however, the weight can be conveyed by the poignant, emotional depth of blues music as a genre.
In his biography Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan, author Howard Sounes recounted an exchange between Dylan and confidant Larry “Ratso” Sloman, where Sloman asked, “How can you not put one of the greatest songs you ever wrote on the album?” According to American Songwriter, the folk legend later told Rolling Stone that he didn’t feel the song was recorded properly, and thus, left it off the project.
Dylan wrote hundreds of songs throughout his prolific career. With such a massive catalog, it’s no surprise that his hits have been covered by countless artists across diverse genres. Rolling Stone compiled a roundup of the 80 greatest Bob Dylan covers of all time, with a host of musical talent showing up in the publication’s top picks.
Some tracks that made the list are Nina Simone‘s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” (1969), Sam Cooke’s “Blowin’ In the Wind” (1964), The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965), Elvis Presley’s “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” (1966), Guns N’ Roses’ “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (1991), and The Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) in the top spot as the No. 1 greatest Bob Dylan cover of all time. (Dylan himself reportedly said to Hendrix, “I don’t know if anyone has done my songs better,” according to the outlet).
Related: 1971 Ballad, Lasting Nearly 11 Minutes, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Bob Dylan Covers’ of All Time
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