Dylan’s Catalog to Be Featured in Special March 1 Show on KWTS

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

Dylan’s Catalog to Be Featured in Special March 1 Show on KWTS

CANYON, Texas — The music of a complete unknown will fill the KWTS airways March 1.

The Bob Dylan KWTS Takeover will run from 7 to 9 p.m. March 1 on KWTS The One 91.1 FM.

Inspired by the Oscar-nominated film, “A Complete Unknown,” a trio of hosts will take listeners on a journey through Dylan’s career following the end of the film, when he made a definitive shift from folk to rock during his set at the Newport Folk Festival.

Hosts are Dr. Noah Franken, associate professor of communication studies; Dr. Marty Kuhlman, the Jenny Lind Porter Professor of History; and Randy Ray, director of broadcast engineering. All are colleagues in WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

“My appreciation for Dylan is different than most people’s. I’ve had the opportunity to work with his publishing company and have worked in some of the studio he recorded in,” Ray said. “Seeing his influence on the music business and culture firsthand, I realized what a major impact he has made.”

Franken hopes listeners look deeper than Dylan’s rightfully lauded lyrical prowess and take a closer listen to his melodies.

“Whether writing in the folk tradition, rock, country, or gospel, Dylan never forgets that the song has to sound good when it’s sung,” Franken said. “Whether you like his voice or not, his songs always have great melodies and interesting changes with insightful lyrics full of playful language to boot.”

Kuhlman put it plainly: “His style changed music. He made the lyrics an important part of a song. The characters he created, the stories he told, the words he used shaped a generation.”

Fostering an appreciation of the arts and meeting regional needs are key components of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—