DESCRIPTION:
This track is a remix of "Like A Rolling Stone" by Jim Thias for Hot Tracks
The original production is by Bob Dylan
© 1965 Columbia
This remix is by Bill Cutler and The Mystery Tramps
© 1993 Hot Tracks
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Bill Cutler is a singer/songwriter, producer and manager, whose career --spanning musical styles from pop to punk--has led him to work with artists ranging from Jerry Garcia to Jewel.
A native New Yorker, Cutler first gained notice as a young songwriter in the 1960s, winning praise for his early protest songs, while performing at Greenwich Village clubs like the Gaslight Cafe and the Bitter End, where he shared the bill with folksingers Phil Ochs, Eric Andersen and David Blue.
A journey to San Francisco in 1967 for the "Summer of Love", led to an expanded view of music, and a switch from acoustic to electric guitar. Over the next few years, Bill criss-crossed the country, finally settling in Northern California. By 1970, Cutler was firmly entrenched in the Haight-Ashbury music scene, joining fellow guitarist David Rea in a new country-rock band, David Rea & Slewfoot, signed to Windfall/Columbia Records. Slewfoot's debut album, co-produced by Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, found Cutler in the company of an all-star musical lineup, including Charles Lloyd (horns), Keith Godchaux (piano), John Kahn (bass), and Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden. Slewfoot went on to play a series of live engagements, including a memorable performance with the Sons of Champlin at the 1973 Columbia Records Convention.
Following the demise of Slewfoot, Bill provided production assistance on tracks featuring guitarist Mike Bloomfield, bluesman John Lee Hooker, New Riders Dave Torbert (bass) and David Nelson (guitar), singer Patti Cathcart (Tuck & Patti), and drummer Donny Baldwin (Garcia Band, Jefferson Starship).
Cutler's band Heroes began building a strong following in the Bay Area, appearing at the first Haight Street Fair with guest guitarist Jerry Miller (of Moby Grape) and headlining the 77 Castro Street Fair, but with the sudden death of lead guitarist Craig Paulson from cancer at the age of 28, Heroes, a promising group on the way to success, came to a halt.
In 1979, caught up in the punk explosion, Bill formed the Nu-Models, with keyboardist Steve LeGassick (Tommy Tutone), drummer Kenny Dale Johnson (Chris Isaak), lead guitarist Joe Stuart and bassist Michael Weinstein. Their dynamic new wave sound took San Francisco by storm and the band soon found themselves touring the West Coast club circuit.
In 1985, Cutler was tapped for an A&R job with San Francisco indie label Sing Sing Disc, where working with industry veteran Lou Bramy (Atlantic, Famous Music), he helped supervise the rise of the underground dance act Voice Farm and the discovery of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians. During this period, Cutler became a frequent speaker at music forums throughout the Bay Area, hosting several producer panels at the annual Gavin Radio Convention.
In 1993, Cutler began experimenting in yet another genre--dance music. Along with producer/engineer Mark V (Bone Thugs & Harmony, Switchblade Symphony), Bill formed a hip hop group called the Mystery Tramps. Cutler, Mark V and executive producer Michael Ehrlich, co-produced a rap/dance version of Bob Dylan's classic "Like a Rolling Stone". After sending the track to Dylan's publisher, Bob agreed to let the group sample his voice from the original 1965 recording singing the signature line: "How Does It Feel?" The Mystery Tramps were soon signed to Imago/BMG and their controversial single caused a sensation in the club scene, with rave reviews from Billboard and house remixes by Tony Garcia. The following year, working with Burgess Entertainment, Cutler arranged for Crystal Gayle to recut her 1979 hit "When I Dream" as a drum n' bass dance track for Glassnote Records.
From 1995-2000, Cutler was manager and producer of Spike 1000, a young, nu-metal band fronted by female singing sensation Shannon Harris. Cutler helped build Spike's large Bay Area following, producing their debut album "Prime" for the Japanese label Network/Pony Canyon, and securing the group a record deal with Portrait/Columbia in the U.S.