How Marcus Mumford Got His Hands on a Bob Dylan Deep Cut

Bob Dylan has written and released a plethora of music in his lengthy career. However, it seems some of his most lyrically rich songs were not recorded nor even kept for himself. Instead, and in this particular instance, Dylan decided to give away two dozen lyrics to the acclaimed producer, T-Bone Burnett.

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The lyrics given away were lyrics Dylan wrote while in the infamous Basement Pink in 1967 during his time with The Band. Though, according to The Guardian, Dylan never recorded any of these songs. So, 47 years later, Dylan decided to gift them to T-Bone Burnett. Also, it goes without saying, but Dylan didn’t have any special requests regarding the lyrics. Rather, he simply wanted to see them come to life. And they did, particularly in Marcus Mumford’s cover of Dylan’s, “Kansas City.”

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After Dylan gifted his lyrics to Burnett, he called all the musicians he believed would love to record a Bob Dylan-written track. Consequently, Elvis Costello, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes all pledged their desire to participate.

After Burnett had the talent, he and his fellow musicians met at Capital Records and recorded all the lyrics Dylan gifted. Regarding the experience, Burnett told The Guardian, “It was like a magic trick” and “Everybody brought their A-game.” He continued, “But you don’t record all 44 versions of these songs in 12 days by being precious about it.”

Despite the alleged imperfections on the album, one song that seems nearly perfect is Marcus Mumford’s rendition of “Kansas City.” Released in 2014 on the album, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, the single is arguably the most successful track on the album. Following its release, Mumford’s cover of the Dylan deep-cut helped the Americana album peak at No. 23 on the Billboard 200.

In totality, Marcus Mumford lucked out when he received an invitation from T-Bone Burnett. Additionally, if it wasn’t for Bob Dylan’s lyrical generosity, well, then none of these songs would have ever seen the light of day. To this day, “Kansas City” remains one of Marcus Mumford’s most notable songs, and frankly, between the lyrics and the music, it is a match made in heaven.

(Also, spoiler, joining Marcus Mumford on the track is none other than Johnny Depp.)

Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage