Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman recently released his first new solo studio album in nine years, Drive My Car. Wyman is known for being a huge fan of classic American rock ‘n’ roll, but the 87-year-old musician also apparently has a great appreciation for some of our country’s lauded singer/songwriters.
Drive My Car includes Wyman’s renditions of songs by Bob Dylan and the late John Prine—“Thunder on the Mountain” and “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody,” respectively.
Videos by American Songwriter
Wyman has posted video features on his YouTube channel featuring some comments about each track on Drive My Car. Those clips include videos focusing on the Dylan and Prine covers.
About “Thunder on the Mountain”
“Thunder on the Mountain” is a song that originally appeared on Dylan’s 2006 album Modern Times. Wyman said he was a fan of Dylan’s version of the song, as well as of a cover that veteran country/rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson released in 2011.
“Dylan’s one is very basic and nice, as Dylan often is. Perfect, you know, in its own way,” Wyman noted in the clip. “Wanda Jackson did it more in, like, a country-rock version. And she had [a] riff going on, which Dylan didn’t have. … So what I did was I took the best of what Dylan did … and I just added a few touches of what Wanda Jackson had done, which are different [from] Bob, and then I put a little of me on as well. So it became a mixture of the three of us.”
Wyman also revealed that his cover of “Thunder on the Mountain” was played for Dylan’s manager. “[He] said it’s a really nice version of Bob’s song,” Bill noted. “So, that pleased me as well.”
Wyman also shared that he decided to make “Thunder on the Mountain” the opening track on his album, “’cause it’s got lots of rhythm, and it’s tough.”
About “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”
“Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody” was a song that appeared on Prine’s 1995 studio album, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. In the YouTube video about his cover of the tune, Wyman explained that he loved everything Prine did, “from the first song he ever wrote.”
Bill also pointed out that he and Prine became friends. He noted that John would come see his post-Rolling Stones band The Rhythm Kings, and that his group covered a few of Prine’s songs.
Regarding “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody,” Bill said, “I really like this one. It’s really got that nice sad guitar part, which comes out of the blue and is really nice. And I love his lyrics.”
Wyman shared that beside Drive My Car’s title track, which was released as the first single, “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody,” was “probably my favorite off the album.”
He added, “I just love the way I did it, the way he wrote it, and the way it came out in the end.”
More About the Drive My Car Album
Drive My Car is Wyman’s first new studio effort since his 2015 album, Back to Basics. Released on August 9, the 12-song collection features five tunes written or co-written by Bill, including the title track.
The album is available on CD, vinyl LP, and via digital formats. The LP version of Drive My Car features only 10 tracks.
You can check out an animated video for “Drive My Car” at Wyman’s official YouTube channel.
Wyman recorded the album at his home studio with some of his longtime musical collaborators, including guitarist Terry Taylor and drummer Paul Beavis. Taylor, who’s a member of The Rhythm Kings, also co-wrote two songs on the album with Bill.