In 1963, the United States was in the throes of social turmoil. Fun fact: Dylan actually stole this “House of the Rising Sun” arrangement from fellow Village musician Dave Van Ronk, who, following the album’s release, was unable to perform his own arrangement, as people thought he had stolen it from Dylan. In Bob Dylan, you can hear as he begins to experiment with his emblematic harmonica, twisting old folk songs into shiny new tunes and bringing together his disparate influences into his own unique sound. Yet, this album would both wedge Dylan’s foot into the industry’s door and allow him to begin crafting a personal mythology for the first time. His first album, the self titled Bob Dylan, recorded in 1962 and released through Columbia Records, barely sold 5,000 copies in its first year. When Dylan first arrived in Greenwich village, playing sets in tiny run-down bars filled with beat poets and cigarette smoke, his unique rendering of western-folk classics immediately began to attract attention. Trading his electric guitar for an acoustic and relocating to New York City directly thereafter, the Robert Zimmerman of the Iron Range was left behind: In his place was Bob Dylan, folk disciple and the soon-to-be voice of a generation.
“You could listen to his songs and actually learn how to live,” said Dylan of Guthrie’s music in the 2005 documentary No Direction Home.
A renowned folk musician and beat poet, Guthrie had been hospitalized for Huntington’s Disease by the point at which an enamored Dylan paid him a visit. After immersing himself in contemporary folk music during his first year at college, Dylan abandoned his studies and hitchhiked his way to New Jersey to meet his artistic idol, Woody Guthrie. Yet, it wasn’t until he graduated high school, started school at the University of Minnesota and began performing with regional star Bobby Vee that Dylan was first truly exposed to the folk music that would profoundly shape him as an artist. 1941-1962īorn Robert Zimmerman in the port city of Duluth, Minn., Bob Dylan grew up listening to the popular rock and country music of the era, such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Hank Williams. Read Paste’s review of Rough and Rowdy Ways right here. To celebrate the new album and refresh ourselves in preparation, here is a condensed breakdown of Bob Dylan’s prolific life, music and legacy. This Friday, Bob Dylan’s 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, will be released around the world.