Bonnie Dobson (born November 13, 1940, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian folk music songwriter, singer, and guitarist, most known in the 1960s for composing the songs “I’m Your Woman” and “Morning Dew”. The latter, augmented (with a controversial co-writing credit) by Tim Rose, became a melancholy folk rock standard, covered by Fred Neil, Ralph McTell, Lulu, Nazareth, the Grateful Dead, the Jeff Beck Group, Robert Plant, the Pozo-Seco Singers, The 31st of February (including Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, and Butch Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band), Long John Baldry, DEVO and Einstürzende Neubauten, among many others.
Dobson was born in Toronto. Her father was a union organizer and opera lover. Her early music influences included Paul Robeson and The Weavers.
Dobson became part of the active folk-revival scene in Toronto, performing in local coffee houses and at the Mariposa Folk Festival. She later moved to the United States where she performed in coffee houses across the country and recorded several albums, including 1962’s Bonnie Dobson at Folk City, which contained her well-known song “Morning Dew”.
Dobson has consistently questioned Tim Rose’s right to a co-writing credit for “Morning Dew” (stating that Rose first heard it as sung by Fred Neil) (1964 album Tear Down The Walls, crediting Dobson).
After returning to Toronto in 1967 she continued to perform locally in coffee houses as well programs on the CBC. She married, and in 1969 moved to London, England, where she took up university studies and later became an administrator of the Philosophy Department at Birkbeck College, part of the University of London.
After retiring in the 1980s, Dobson returned to perform in 2007 in London with Jarvis Cocker;[6] she released a new album in 2013 with the Hornbeam label and that year launched a number of concert dates.
She performed with Combined Services Entertainment, and was one of the last performers at RAF Salalah Oman. (wikipedia)
Bonnie Dobson did not make the transition from folk to rock well, as this 1969 album attests. With its pop trimmings and orchestration, the impression is that RCA was trying to put Dobson into the pop market, rather than the rock or even folk-rock one. The arrangements aren’t awful, but they aren’t inspired either, and don’t suit the songs well. It’s as if someone was trying to make her over into a folk Bobbie Gentry. And the material isn’t the greatest either. Getting an opportunity to do an electric version of her own “Morning Dew” would seem to have been the greatest opportunity that the author of the song could have, yet it’s no more than adequate, and in any case had been beaten to the punch through prior versions by Tim Rose, the Grateful Dead, the Jeff Beck Group, Lulu, and others. Same thing with her covers of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talking” and Dino Valenti’s “Let’s Get Together”: would have been a great idea in early 1967, but was running behind the pack a couple of years later. (At least her cover of Jackson Frank’s “You Never Me” was a more obscure, daring choice.)
Five of the 12 songs are her own compositions, but with the exception of “Morning Dew” they’re inoffensively forgettable, easygoing pop-folk-rock. A sitar (or possibly an electric sitar) pops up a couple of times, but it sounds more trendy than far-out. As an early-1960s folk singer, Dobson made notable if little-known contributions to the folk scene, but this album indicates that she wasn’t able to either maximize her potential or capitalize on her assets in a timely fashion. (by Richie Unterberger)
Personnel:
Bonnie Dobson (vocals, guitar)
+
a bunch of unknown studio musicians
Tracklist:
01. I Got Stung (Dobson) 2.57
02. Morning Dew (Dobson/Rose) 3.20
03. Let’s Get Together (Valenti) 3.08
04. I’m Your Woman (Dobson) 3.00
05. Time (Shaper/Bourtayre) 3.09
06. Rainy Windows (Dobson) 2.40
07. Everybody’s Talking (Neil) 3.26
08. Bird Of Space (McPeek) 2.50
09. You Never Wanted Me (Frank) 3.11
10. Pendant Que (Vigneault) 3.01
11. Elevator Man (Allan) 2.53
12. Winter’s Going (Dobson) 2.41
Take me for a walk in the mornin’ dew, my honey
Take me for a walk in the mornin’ sun, my love
You can’t go walkin’ in the mornin’ dew today
You can’t go walkin’ in the mornin’ sun today
But listen, I hear a man moanin’, “Lord”
Oh yes, I hear a man moanin’, “Lord”
You didn’t hear a man moan at all
You didn’t hear a man moan at all
But I thought I heard my baby cryin’, “Mama”
Oh yes, I hear my baby cryin’, “Mama”
You’ll never hear your baby cry again
You’ll never hear your baby cry again
Now, where have all the people gone?
Won’t you tell me where have all the people gone?
Don’t you worry about the people anymore
Don’t you worry about the people anymore
“Morning Dew”, also known as “(Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew”, is a contemporary folk song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bonnie Dobson. The lyrics relate a fictional conversation in a post-nuclear holocaust world. Originally recorded live as a solo performance, Dobson’s vocal is accompanied by her finger-picked acoustic guitar playing.
In 1962, “Morning Dew” was included on the live Bonnie Dobson at Folk City album. Subsequently, the song was recorded by other contemporary folk and rock musicians, including the Grateful Dead, who adapted it using an electric rock-ensemble arrangement for their debut album.
The song is a dialogue between the last man and woman left alive following an apocalyptic catastrophe. Dobson stated that the inspiration for “Morning Dew” was the film On the Beach, which is about the survivors of virtual global annihilation by nuclear holocaust. Dobson wrote the song while staying with a friend in Los Angeles; she recalled how the guests at her friend’s apartment were speculating about a nuclear war’s aftermath and “after everyone went to bed, I sat up and suddenly I just started writing this song [although] I had never written [a song] in my life”. In 1961, Dobson premiered “Morning Dew” at the inaugural Mariposa Folk Festival and a live recording appeared on Dobson’s At Folk City album in 1962. In 1969, she recorded a studio version for her self-titled album.
The earliest release of a studio version of “Morning Dew” was on the 1964 self-titled album by the Goldebriars, using the title “Come Walk Me Out” and without giving songwriter credit to Dobson. It was followed about a month later by a recording by singer and guitarist Fred Neil with Vince Martin, for their album Tear Down The Walls.[5] Tim Rose followed with a version for his self-titled debut album; according to Dobson, “all Tim Rose did was take Freddie Neil’s changes”. Dobson claimed she never met Rose, but she received 75% songwriting royalty as she retains sole writing credit for the song’s music.
“Morning Dew” became part of the Grateful Dead’s repertoire after frontman Jerry Garcia was introduced to the Fred Neil recording by roadie Laird Grant in 1966. The group first played the song as their opening number at the Human Be-In in January 1967; the same month the group recorded it for their self-titled debut album, which was released that March.
American psychodelic rock band The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band released their cover of “Morning Dew” under the title “Will You Walk With Me” in February 1967 on their album Part One.
The British pop singer Lulu made a version of “Morning Dew” in her album Love Loves To Love Lulu produced by John Paul Jones, in 1967. With Rod Stewart on vocals, the Jeff Beck Group recorded a version on their 1968 album Truth that carried over some aspects of the Tim Rose version, including the bass part. Swiss rock band Krokodil included a version on their self-titled debut in 1969. Scottish rockers Nazareth covered the song on their 1971 debut in a version with an extended arrangement similar to the Jeff Beck Group’s, and released a single version the following year. Long John Baldry did “Morning Dew” on his self-titled 1980 release and released it as a single the same year. The German band Einstürzende Neubauten included too a version of “Morning Dew” in their album Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala of 1987. Devo covered the song on Smooth Noodle Maps released in 1990. US band Blackfoot also covered it to open their 1984 album Vertical Smiles.
Cleveland, Ohio rock band Damnation of Adam Blessing covered “Morning Dew” on their 1969 self-titled debut. “Morning Dew” was also performed by Duane and Greg Allman on their album released by Bold records. Robert Plant covered the song on his 2002 album Dreamland. (wikipedia)
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