♪♪ >> ERIC: MINNESOTA'S OWN BOB DYLAN LOOMS LARGE IN THE PANTHEON OF AMERICAN ARTISTS.

HIS 1975 ALBUM "BLOOD ON THE TRACKS" IS OFTEN CALLED ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME.

WHAT ISN'T WELL KNOWN IS THAT HALF OF THAT ALBUM WAS RECORDED RIGHT HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES, BACKED BY A HANDFUL OF SESSION PROS WHO DIDN'T APPEAR IN THE ALBUM CREDITS UNTIL JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.

VETERAN OF THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE PAUL METSA AND LONG-TIME JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR RICK SHEFCHIK TEAMED UP TO WRITE A BOOK CHRONICLING THE STORIES OF THESE UNSUNG HEROES AND THOSE LEGENDARY MINNEAPOLIS SESSIONS.

THIS CAME TOGETHER BECAUSE PAUL HAD A BUNCH OF TAPED INTERVIEWS WITH THE MINNEAPOLIS SIX?

>> YES, WITH THE ORIGINAL SIX MUSICIANS WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER BY DAVID ZIMMERMAN, BOB'S BROTHER, AND PAUL HAS, FOR YEARS, DONE A LOT TO TRY TO KEEP THEM TOGETHER.

HE'S ACTUALLY PROMOTED -- AND I'M TAKING PAUL'S STORY HERE BUT, ANYWAY, HE KNEW THEM ALL, INTERVIEWED THEM ALL FOR HIS RADIO SHOW UT HE HAD THE TRANSCRIPTS AND WANTED TO PUT IT INTO A BOOK SO HE CONTACTED ME AND ASKED IF I WAS INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT AND I SAID ABSOLUTELY.

>> Eric: THIS WAS A TOP-SECRET RECORDING SESSION, WASN'T IT?

HE HAD RECORDED TRACKS IN NEW YORK, DIDN'T LIKE THEM, I GUESS HIS BROTHER PUT TOGETHER THE SESSION PROS IN MINNEAPOLIS?

>> YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT.

DAVID ZIMMERMAN PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, VERY HUSH-HUSH, JUST TWO NIGHTS IN THE END OF DECEMBER, IN A KIND OF STARTED, BOB WAS LOOKING FOR THIS 1938 MARTIN GUITAR.

JUST SO HAPPENED THERE WAS ONE ON CONSIGNMENT ALMOST THE SAME YEAR, THE EXACT MODEL, AND SO -- >> Eric: AT THE PODIUM IN DINKYTOWN?

>> IN DINKYTOWN, YEAH.

DAVID IS THE ONE THAT COLD KEVIN ODEGARD, AND THEY HAD STARTED PUTTINGS THE BAND TOGETHER, AT SOUND 80, WHICH WAS THE BIG STUDIO.

AT THE TIME, BILL TEE PETTERSON, A BASS PLAYER AND DAVE BURG, A DRUMMER IN HIBBING, AS WELL, WERE KIND OF THE HOUSE RHYTHM SECTION DOWN THERE SO DAVID PUT THE THREE OF THEM TOGETHER.

ODEGARD CALLED WEBBER TO GET THE GUITAR.

HE ENDED UP KIND OF BEING THE BAND LEADER ON THE SESSIONS AND THEN PETER OSTROUSHKO AND GREG HOPPER WERE INVITED IN.

SO IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MAGIC KIND OF NIGHTS.

>> Eric: THEY WERE JUST GOING TO DO IDIOT WIND AND THEY KEPT GOING?

>> IT WAS DAVID'S SUGGESTION TO BOB THAT HE DIDN'T REALLY HEAR A HIT ON THE ALBUM.

HE SAID IT'S A GREAT ALBUM BUT PROBABLY NOT GOING TO GET ON THE RADIO BUT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, BRING IN THESE GUYS AND MAYBE PUNCH IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND MAKE A LITTLE MORE DYNAMIC SO THEY THOUGHT "IDIOTS WIND" WOULD BE THE SONG TO TRY IT OFF AND SEE FIT WORKED.

THEY GOT ON A STUMBLING START, IT WAS A C SHARP MINOR CHORD, WHERE NO SONG HAS EVER STARTED IN THAT, AND ONCE THEY FELL INTO THE GROVE, THEY REALIZED THEY REALLY HAD SOMETHING THERE AND BOB SAID LET'S DO ANOTHER ONE.

AND THEY ENDED UP DOING TWO THAT NIGHT AND THEN THREE HE NEXT NIGHT.

>> Cathy: BUT WHY DID THE GUYS GET NO CREDITS?

OR MORE MONEY?

>> THE COVERS WERE ALREADY PRINTED UP BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO DO -- THE RECORD WAS GOING TO BE ALL THE NEW YORK SESSIONS SO BY THE TIME HE RECORD CAME OUT IN '75, THREE USED WHAT THEY HAD PRINTED.

THE BAND WAS PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD END UP IN THE SECOND PRESSING WHEN IT CAME OUT, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

I PUT TOGETHER BOB DYLAN'S 60th BIRTHDAY PARTY AT FIRST AVENUE IN 2001.

I GOT HOLD OF KEVIN OEDGAARD, I SAID WHAT'S THE CHANCES OF GETTING THE ORIGINAL GUYS FROM THE SESSIONS TOGETHER, SO WE HAD FIVE OUT OF THE SIX GUYS, 40 OTHER BANDS FROM -- ON BOTH 7th STREETS ENTRY AND THE FIRST AVENUE STAGE AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE BLOOD ON THE TRACKS BOYS HAD SEEN EACH OTHER AND PLAYED TOGETHER SINCE THOSE TWO NIGHTS IN DECEMBER.

AND THAT STARTED KIND OF RESTARTED THE CAMPAIGN FOR THEM TO GET THEIR NAMES ON THE RECORDS.

>> Cathy: SO THEY NEVER GOT ANY RESIDUALS, EITHER, FROM -- >> THEY GOT STUDIO SCALE THE NIGHTS THAT THEY PLAYED AND THAT AS IT.

AND THAT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY ERE KEPT OFF THE CREDITS FOR THAT LONG BECAUSE COLUMBIA KIND OF FELT LIKE THEY HAD DONE WHAT THEY NEEDED TO DO FOR THESE GUYS AND IF THEY REOPENED THAT ISSUE, THEN POSSIBLY THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ROYALTY OR OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU TALKED TO THESE GUYS, ALMOST SEEMS LIKE IT WAS A MYSTICAL, MAGICAL CONFLUENCE OF THE STARS THAT THIS HAPPENED.

>> IT ACTUALLY WAS ON ONE OF THE COLDEST NIGHTS OF THE YEAR, TOTAL MINNESOTA EVENING AND WHAT WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT OUR BOOK IS THOSE THINGS KIND OF GOT SHRANKED OFF WITH ANONYMOUS GARAGE BAND MUSICIANS WHEN TRUTHFULLY THEY WERE SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS IN MINNEAPOLIS WHICH MINUTES THEY WERE AS GOOD AS ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.

SO NOT ONLY DO WE TELL THE STORY OF THE SESSIONS, WE TELL EVERYBODY'S LIFE STORY BEFORE THE SESSIONS, THE SESSIONS AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS.

>> Eric: GREG WEHOVER TOURS WITH JESSE VENTURA.

>> HE MIGHT THINK THE BIGGER STORY WAS HE WAS IN OLIVIA JOHN'S TRAVEL TOUR.

>> 4:00 WE'LL BE THERE TOMORROW.

>> Eric: AND I'M SIGN?

>> Cathy: I WOULD GUESS SON.

>> I WOULD GUESS SO.

>> Eric: FLAT ITEMS ONLY.

THANKS, FELLAS.

>> MINNESOTA STATE FAIR GROUND, BRING YOUR OWN