World-renowned violinist and composer Scarlet Rivera blazed the trail for rock violinists when she was featured on Bob Dylan’s legendary Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975.
Today, she proudly announces the release of her new single and vocal debut, “Dust Bowl”. Rivera co-wrote the song with her producer, Tim Goodman, about the 1930s ecological disaster in the US midwest.
The song is on Rivera’s EP, All of Me, the first release to feature Rivera on both violin and lead vocals. Her 12th solo body of work, All of Me is set to release on April 17, 2020 on Bright Sun Records.
On the All of Me EP, Rivera combines her versatility as a world-class violinist with her singing and songwriting skills to create six original songs. The songs cover various topics from women empowerment and political power to self-identity and the wisdom one gains from living life. The EP also includes the track “Songbird” that pays homage to iconic singer-songwriter and Rivera’s contemporary, Joni Mitchell.
Originally trained as a classical violinist, Rivera explored adapting the violin into several other music genres and styles, including Americana, rock, new age, Celtic and world music. It was this innovative spirit that got the attention of Bob Dylan in 1975.
After an impromptu audition, Dylan asked Rivera to perform on his 1976 album, Desire, that went double-platinum and was considered one of the biggest albums of his career. Dylan featured Rivera on every track, being impressed with her versatile playing and improvisational skills. He later invited Rivera to accompany him on his Rolling Thunder Revue. This year-long tour featured a lineup of legendary artists, including Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, Roger McGuinn, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, among others.
Since then, Rivera has gone on to be featured on recordings and tours by many other major label artists, including the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, Eric Andersen, Keb’ Mo’, Peter Maffay, David Johansen and Sylvia Tyson of ‘Ian and Sylvia’, and five-time Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar.
She also released 11 solo albums of her own, including genre-bending Celtic and rock albums that cemented her place as one of the world’s most prominent and versatile violinists of her time.
Rivera was recently featured in the 2019 film, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. The film includes captivating original footage of Rivera both behind the scenes and performing live on tour with Dylan in 1975.
