CE-W14 The Cover Song: As a Tribute and Cultural Milestone

Late 4 Week Class | Available (Membership Required)

SUNY New Paltz campus Van den Berg Building Tricor Avenue (across from Hasbrouck Park New Paltz, NY 12561 United States
SUNY tba
10/15/2025-11/5/2025
2:00 PM-3:15 PM on Wed
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CE-W14 The Cover Song: As a Tribute and Cultural Milestone

Late 4 Week Class | Available (Membership Required)

A great cover only makes a song stronger. Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The Beatles rocking out with “Twist and Shout.” Aretha Franklin demanding “Respect” are only a couple of examples.

Cover songs provide a fascinating lens by which to examine artistic interpretation, cultural shifts, and technological innovation. This course will trace the evolution of popular music using cover songs as markers of transformation from the 1950s through the 1980s and 1990s.We will examine how foundational genres -the Blues, Gospel, Folk and Country music styles – shaped the emergence of Rock N Roll and contemporary music. Some covers will be very familiar to us and in some cases, we will be surprised to learn that they are not the original versions.

Songwriters have an extraordinary ability to translate raw feelings into words and structure, while singers bring those words to life with nuance, passion, and meaning. This combination—when melody, lyrics, and delivery align—can be transcendent. I’ve always believed that music taps into something primal in us, something universal, making it one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding ourselves and each other.

In this course we will explore, listen, discuss, reminisce and celebrate together.

Jerry O'Shea

Like many of you, Jerry O’Shea is a lifelong, passionate listener of contemporary music—especially rock and roll. He finds deep joy in melody and rhythm and has a profound appreciation for lyrics and vocal delivery. He believes it is an inherent human occupation that brings us together. He will be presenting this class, not as an expert, but as a person who loves music and knows a little something about it, as he is sure you do.

For over three decades, Jerry had the privilege of working at Madison Square Garden, where he witnessed some of the world’s greatest contemporary artists bring their music to life on a grand scale. That experience further deepened his appreciation—not just for the music itself, but for the communal act of listening and celebrating it together. He has read widely and watched countless documentaries to understand more about the artists, their creative processes, and the cultural moments that shaped them.