Starts Performing in Minneapolis
October 1959
Under the name Bob Dylan, he starts performing as a folk-singer at the Ten O'Clock Scholar, a coffee-house popular with young people, delivering traditional folk and blues material in a sweet sounding voice.
When I Got troubles (from No Direction Home)
Buddy Holly
31 January 1959
The 17-year-old Robert Zimmerman attends the National Guard Armory in Duluth, Minnesota to see Buddy Holly top the bill - just three days before Holly dies in a plane crash - but soon is more interested in folk and blues.
Enrols at University
29 September 1959
He enrols at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, but attends few formal classes. Moving into a Jewish fraternity house, he doesn't participate in its rituals or activities.
Reads Woody Guthrie's Book
September 1960
Fellow student Harry Weber lends Dylan a copy Woody Guthrie's ramblin' memoir Bound for Glory. Now Guthrie-obsessed, Dylan hunts down recordings and is soon mimicking his hero's speech patterns and unique syntax.
The Bohemian Life
January 1960
Now generally using the name Dylan instead of Zimmerman, he moves out of the fraternity house and into a shared apartment above a drugstore in Dinkytown, the bohemian quarter of Minneapolis. By February, he's also playing the Purple Onion, a pizza parlour in nearby St Paul.
Hitchhikes from Minneapolis
December 1960
Dylan heads for Chicago: "I stood on the highway during a blizzard snowstorm believing in the mercy of the world and headed east, didn't have nothing but my guitar and suitcase".
A Second Folk Recording
September 1960
Cleve Peterson tries out his new tape recorder in Dylan's apartment, as Dylan takes on Guthrie's persona and voice, with a repertoire that now includes Woody Guthrie songs as well as a talking blues of his own, about a flatmate.
First Extensive Recording
May 1960
Following a show at the Purple Onion, Dylan records 27 songs at the apartment of the Wallace sisters, two admirers, in St Paul. He sings mostly folk material in a sweet, country-style voice, yet to be influenced by the sound of Woody Guthrie.
Rambler, Gambler (from No Direction Home)
Mountain High
July 1960
He travels to Denver, and starts playing piano in a strip joint in nearby Central City. In Denver, he sees a performance by Jesse Fuller, who uses a harmonica rack. Accused of stealing LP records, Dylan leaves Denver in a hurry.
Arrives in New York City
24 January 1961
Dylan heads for Café Wha? in New York's Greenwich Village, sings a couple of songs at their hootenanny night and tells the crowd: "I been travelin' around the country, followin' in Woody Guthrie's footsteps". Owner Manny Roth gets him a bed for the night.
Freedom Riders spark Montgomery riots
21/5/1961
First Review
29 September 1961
Robert Shelton, in the New York Times, writes a glowing review of Dylan's support slot at Gerde's Folk City, calling him "One of the most distinctive stylists to play Manhattan in months". On the same day Dylan plays harmonica at a recording session produced by John Hammond.
Signs Recording Contract
26 October 1961
After rejections from smaller labels, Columbia Records' John Hammond offers Dylan a five-year contract. "I was just so happy to be able to record, I didn't even read it". He completes his first album in two three-hour sessions, costing $402.
Visits Woody Guthrie
29 January 1961
Dylan achieves his dream of meeting Guthrie while his idol is on weekend release from hospital where he is being treated for Huntington's Chorea. Dylan sings to him; "I was a Woody Guthrie jukebox". Guthrie gives Dylan a card saying "I ain't dead yet".
Supports John Lee Hooker
11 April 1961
Dylan's first big show, supporting blues legend John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City, earns him $90 a week. He plays originals such as Song to Woody as well as folk standards like House of the Rising Sun.
Arrives in London
9/12/1962
Invited to perform in a BBC TV play, The Madhouse on Castle Street, Dylan spends a month in London, playing clubs, hanging out with English folk luminaries such as Martin Carthy and helping some fellow Americans who are recording in town.
Writes 'Blowin' in the Wind'
8/4/1962
In a Greenwich Village hangout, Dylan writes a two-verse version of his first famous song in a few minutes, later adding a third verse. Taken up by other musicians, it becomes an anthem of the civil rights movement to rival We Shall Overcome.
Blowin' in the Wind
Cuban Missile Crisis
28/10/1962
Starts Recording Second Album
24/4/1962
Coinciding with his first headlining at Gerde's Folk City, he starts recording his second album for Columbia Records. Unlike his first album, the recording sessions are spread over a year and include more pieces written by Dylan himself, often protest songs.
Debut Album Released
19/3/1962
Dylan's first album, with several traditional songs about death and just two original compositions, is praised by the Village Voice as an "explosive country-blues debut" but sells poorly. Dylan is called "Hammond's Folly" within Columbia Records.
Song to Woody
Officially Changes Name
2/8/1962
Robert Allen Zimmerman legally becomes Bob Dylan, having signed a music publishing deal with Witmark Music on 12 July, engineered by Albert Grossman. Dylan goes on to sign a management deal with Grossman on 30 August 1962.
Breakthrough at Newport Folk Festival
26-28 July 1963
Originally scheduled for one evening concert at America's premier folk festival, Dylan makes such an impact that he plays every night, duets with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and leads the final night performance of Blowin' in the Wind.
First Major New York Solo Concert
12/4/1963
Dylan plays his first solo concert at a major New York concert venue, Town Hall, performing only his own compositions, including nine new songs, and ending with a long spoken poem called Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.
Masters of War, Live at Town Hall (from No Direction Home)
Kennedy Assasinated
22/11/1963
Dylan and Baez - A Fine Romance?
18/5/1963
After Dylan and Joan Baez duet on With God on Our Side at the Monterey Folk Festival, the King and Queen of Folk spend time together. Their on-off romance continues for a couple of years, Baez's high profile boosting Dylan's career.
'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' Released
27/5/1963
Mostly self-composed, Dylan's second album is a classic. Songs like Blowin' in the Wind, A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall, Masters of War and Girl of the North Country have become landmark recordings.
Girl of the North Country
Performs at Civil Rights Rally in Mississippi
6/7/1963
Dylan makes his first trip to the segregated South for a voter registration rally. His performance of Only a Pawn in Their Game is filmed and he closes the event with Pete Seeger, singing We Shall Overcome.
March on Washington
28/8/1963
Dylan performs Only a Pawn in Their Game and Blowin' In The Wind at this historic civil rights rally, where Martin Luther King delivers his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. This strengthens Dylan's 'Voice of Protest' image.
'Another Side of Bob Dylan' Released
8/8/1964
Recorded in a single six-hour session, Dylan's fourth album marks a shift from literal protest songs to more personal writing. Dylan has passed beyond the Woody Guthrie influence with songs like It Ain't Me Babe. It's his only studio session in 1964.
It Ain't Me Babe
Plays Royal Festival Hall in London
17/5/1964
Dylan's first major London concert is the focus of a trip that includes TV appearances. In the interval, he gets a telegram from John Lennon seeking a meeting but it doesn't happen. After the show, Dylan is mobbed by autograph hunters.
Beatlemania Arrives in US
7/2/1964
'The Times They Are A-Changin'' Released
13/1/1964
Dylan's third album, entirely self-composed, cements his reputation as a protest singer with songs like the title track and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, though it also includes personal songs such as Boots of Spanish Leather and One Too Many Mornings.
Boots of Spanish Leather
Dylan Takes the High Road
3/2/1964
Dylan starts a long, Kerouac-style road trip with three companions, from the East to the West Coast, via New Orleans. Mardi Gras is one inspiration for writing Mr Tambourine Man and during the trip The Beatles are all over the car radio.
Mr Tambourine Man
Dylan Meets the Beatles
28/8/1964
Dylan and the Beatles finally meet in a New York hotel, where Bob allegedly introduces the Fab Four to marijuana for the first time. "Till then we'd been hard scotch and Coke men," admitted Paul McCartney.
"I'm Wearing My Bob Dylan Mask"
31/10/1964
At Dylan's Halloween concert at Philharmonic Hall, his first in New York for a year, he is joined by Joan Baez for four songs. Some 40 years later, a recording of the whole concert is released by Columbia Records.
With God On Our Side (from Live 1964)
US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam
28/7/1965
'Like a Rolling Stone', 'Going Electric' at Newport Folk Festival
25/7/1965
Dressed in Carnaby Street threads, the ever-changing Dylan plugs in for three songs backed by the Butterfield Blues Band. Reaction is mixed but the appearance enters rock history. He includes the just-released Like a Rolling Stone, which becomes his highest-charting single.
Maggie's Farm (from No Direction Home)
Arrives in Britain for UK Tour
26/4/1965
Dylan arrives in Britain for his last solo concerts. Asked at Heathrow what his message is, he replies, "Keep a good head and always carry a light-bulb". This UK tour is immortalised in DA Pennebaker's film Don't Look Back.
Bob Gets Hitched
22/11/1965
Dylan marries Sara Lownds in a low-key ceremony on Long Island. Manager Albert Grossman and a maid of honour are the only other attendees. In January, a son is born to Bob and Sara, who also brings a daughter to the marriage.
'Bringing It All Back Home' Released
22/3/1965
Dylan's 'folk-rock' fifth album, his most successful yet, charts in America and Britain. The frenetic Subterranean Homesick Blues is a huge departure, the electric Maggie's Farm and acoustic It's Alright Ma update his 'protest' image and Mr Tambourine Man inspires The Byrds.
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Begins Touring with The Hawks
24 September 1965
After trying a couple of half-acoustic/half-electric concerts, Dylan starts touring with The Hawks, recruited from Ronnie Hawkins' bar band. Three months after this show in Austin, Dylan is still praising Texan crowds but audiences elsewhere are polarised.
'Highway 61 Revisited' Released
30/8/1965
Hot on its predecessor's heels, Dylan's sixth album rocks throughout with surreal images and oblique language. Even with its more acoustic delivery, Desolation Row goes far beyond its folk antecedents. Dylan's artistic development in such a short time period is astounding.
Like a Rolling Stone
The Motorcycle Accident
29/7/1966
Dylan crashes his Triumph motorbike on a rural back road near Woodstock, NY. His precise injuries are not revealed but press speculation assumes the worst. His convalescence releases him from onerous touring obligations and allows him time with his young family.
Takes Electric Show Overseas
12/4/1966
Having taken his electric show all across America and Canada, Dylan arrives in Sydney but the Australian press is uncomprehending. Moving on to Europe, things are little better. Dylan has moved so far ahead of his audience that conflict is almost inevitable.
Ballad of a Thin Man, live in Edinburgh (No Direction Home Soundtrack)
"Judas!"
17/5/1966
In Britain, there is much heckling and slow handclapping at the electric reworking of older songs. In Manchester, the infamous shout of "Judas" precedes Like a Rolling Stone, spurring a response from Dylan and a storming version of the song. (See also 13 October 1998).
'Judas' and Like a Rolling Stone, live in Manchester (from Live 1966)
'Blonde on Blonde' Released
16/5/1966
Rock's first double album, recorded with Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson and Nashville country music session players, has what Dylan later calls "that wild mercury sound" and epic songs like Visions of Johanna and Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Visions of Johanna
China announces Cultural Revolution
13/8/1966
Dylan Heads Down Into the Basement
May 1967
On basic equipment, Dylan starts recording with The Hawks at Big Pink, a rented house near Woodstock. The new songs become music publishing demos but there's older material too - more than 100 songs, none officially released until 1975.
Million Dollar Bash from The Basement Tapes
'Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits' Released
27/3/1967
With Dylan neither recording nor touring and with his contract running out, Columbia Records releases a greatest hits compilation, even though few of the tracks were hits. Nevertheless, it becomes the biggest selling album of his career.
Positively 4th Street
Re-Signs to Columbia
1/7/1967
After offering Dylan a million dollar advance, MGM decide to back out and Dylan signs to Columbia Records for another five years but on much better terms than before.
'John Wesley Harding' Released
27/12/1967
Dylan's eighth album stands out against the prevailing psychedelic style of the time. Country-tinged and suffused with biblical imagery, it presents a very moral tone. One highlight, All Along the Watchtower, is soon covered by Jimi Hendrix.
All Along the Watchtower
Joan Baez arrested in Vietnam protest
16/10/1967
Woody Guthrie Dies
3/10/1967
Dylan's hero dies from Huntington's Chorea, aged 55. The same day Dylan calls Guthrie's manager to offer his services for any memorial concert.
Dylan's Father Dies
5/6/1968
Abraham Zimmerman dies of a heart attack and Dylan flies to Minnesota for the funeral, even though he fears press intrusion.
Dylan Starts Painting
May 1968
Dylan asks his neighbour Bruce Dorfman for painting lessons after Sara gives him a box of oils for his 27th birthday. His Chagall-inspired style is later seen on album covers for his own Self Portrait and The Band's Music from Big Pink.
Woody Guthrie Memorial Concerts
20/1/1968
For his first public appearance since his accident, Dylan plays the two Carnegie Hall concerts in memory of his idol. On a mostly folk bill that includes Woody's son, Arlo, Dylan is backed by The Hawks, soon to be called The Band.
Dylan Helps 'Sing Out!' Magazine
October-November 1968
Sing Out! magazine publishes a major interview with Dylan, who has agreed to the interview to help out this old folk magazine, as it is in some difficulty. Dylan also contributes a painting for the cover, the first public evidence of his new interest.
Martin Luther King Shot Dead
4/4/1968
"Help Bob Dylan Sink the Isle of Wight"
31/8/1969
Dylan tops the bill at the second Isle of Wight Festival, backed by The Band. Despite much hype, Dylan plays a one-hour set that includes an acoustic version of Wild Mountain Thyme, a song he heard on his first British visit in 1962.
Like a Rolling Stone live at Isle of Wight (from Self Portrait)
Reunion in Hibbing, Minnesota
2/8/1969
Dylan takes Sara to his 10-year high school reunion, back in Hibbing.
Man Lands on Moon
20/7/1969
Dylan on American Network TV
1/5/1969
Dylan records three songs for The Johnny Cash Show, one a duet with Cash.
Living Down in New York Town
September 1969
Perhaps missing the buzz of the city, perhaps finding that Woodstock no longer offers sanctuary after the festival there, Dylan and his growing family move to a townhouse in the heart of Greenwich Village.
'Nashville Skyline' Released
9/4/1969
Dylan's third Nashville-recorded album embraces country music more than ever. Twenty-seven minutes long and with liner notes by Johnny Cash, who also sings, it is dismissed as lightweight. This easy-going album includes Lay, Lady, Lay, a major hit single for Dylan.
Lay, Lady, Lay
'Great White Wonder' Surfaces
20/9/1969
Rolling Stone magazine reports that the world's first rock bootleg album, Great White Wonder, is on sale in Los Angeles and it's a double album at that. The 26 songs come from different periods, principally a 1961 Minnesota recording, the Big Pink basement in 1967 and the Johnny Cash TV show earlier in the year.
'Self Portrait' Released
8/6/1970
"What is this shit?" asks Rolling Stone critic Greil Marcus. With its mixture of covers (Paul Simon and Gordon Lightfoot), live tracks (from the Isle of Wight concert) and insubstantial new material, Self Portrait lacks the coherence expected of a Dylan album.
Quinn the Eskimo
'Doctor' Robert
9/6/1970
Dylan receives an honorary doctorate from Princeton University. The citation reads, "Although he is reaching the perilous age of 30, his music remains the authentic expression of the disturbed and concerned conscience of young America".
'New Morning' Released
21/10/1970
Hailed as a return to form and an affirmation of his continuing song-writing powers, New Morning also signals Dylan's domesticity. The title track fair crackles with joy, while Went to See the Gypsy relates to a visit to see Elvis Presley.
New Morning
'Tarantula' Finally Published
November 1970
After many unofficial printings, Dylan's book, written over five years earlier, is finally published. Lacking a storyline and conventional grammar, syntax and punctuation, its surreal style confounds many readers. Others find considerable merit in its creativity.
Hundreds held in series of hijacks
6/9/1970
Determined to become a folk singer in New York, Dylan leaves Minneapolis: "I stood on the highway during a blizzard snowstorm believing in the mercy of the world and headed east, didn't have nothing but my guitar and suitcase".
Benefit Concert for Bangladesh
1 August 1971
Prompted by Ravi Shankar, George Harrison organises an all-star concert at Madison Square Garden to raise awareness and money for Bangladeshi refugees. Dylan plays a great set, although Harrison later admits, "Right up until he stepped onstage, I was not sure he was coming".
Manson sent to gas chamber
29/3/1971
Dylan Records with Leon Russell
16/3/1971
Dylan records two songs with Russell's band at a small New York studio. Watching The River Flow, his most rocking performance for some time, becomes his next single and When I Paint My Masterpiece is included on The Band's next album.
Dylan Records Another Single
4/11/1971
Having just read Soledad Brother by George Jackson, Dylan records two versions of the song George Jackson. One is solo acoustic and the other has session musicians assembled by Leon Russell. The single, hailed as a return to protest, contains both versions.
'More Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits' Released
17/11/1971
Unlike its predecessor, Dylan oversees this compilation, adding previously unreleased tracks, including the sublime Tomorrow is a Long Time, and recording a few songs especially for inclusion. A more stimulating album, few tracks had been hits in a normal sense.
Tomorrow is a Long Time
Dylan Visits Israel
24/5/1971
On his 30th birthday, Dylan is photographed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, having flown to Israel for a holiday with his wife. Back in New York, his home is picketed by AJ Weberman and others, intent on radicalising him.
Dylan vs Weberman
6/1/1971
Dylan telephones self-confessed Dylanologist AJ Weberman about a planned article concerning their meeting. Dylan offers him an interview a few days hence, which Weberman secretly records. When Folkways, a label that had previously rejected Dylan, later releases it, Dylan objects and it is withdrawn.
Olympic hostages killed in gun battle
6/9/1972
Down Mexico Way
23/11/1972
Dylan arrives in Durango, Mexico to work on Sam Peckinpah's film Pat Garret and Billy the Kid, playing Alias, a small role written especially for him. Filming does not go smoothly: the drunken, knife-throwing Peckinpah lives up to his irascible reputation.
Dylan Plays with The Band
1/1/1972
As The Band end a show in New York, Dylan joins them for four songs after midnight on New Year's Eve. While the Band's live album, Rock of Ages, doesn't at first include his contribution, the later CD reissue does.
In the Audience
23/7/1972
Dylan attends the Mariposa Folk Festival in Canada but does not perform. His recording contract pending, he mainly spends this period attending sessions and performances by other artists (Elvis Presley, Joe Cocker, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Loudon Wainwright III) but he does perform with John Prine.
Guest Appearances
September and October 1972
As Robert Milkwood Thomas, Dylan plays piano and harmonises on two songs at a recording session for Steve Goodman and, under his own name, contributes to the Doug Sahm and Band album
Dylan Switches Record Labels
29 May 1973
When Clive Davis, head of Columbia Records, is sacked for alleged improper use of funds, Dylan is put off re-signing. Around this time, he is courted by David Geffen of Asylum Records, with whom Dylan later signs a one album deal.
'Pat Garret & Billy the Kid' Released
13/7/1973
During on-off contract negotiations, Columbia Records issues the soundtrack album, soon after MGM release Peckinpah's film - in a shorter cut than the director intended. Dylan, while looking slightly edgy in the film, produces a moving if low-key album, from which Knockin' On Heaven's Door becomes a hit single.
Knockin ' on...
Moves to California
June 1973
Dylan takes a short-term lease in Malibu, California, later building himself a new home there. Over the summer, Dylan plans a comeback tour with the Band, in conjunction with Robbie Robertson, also now in California.
The Unwanted 'Dylan' Released
16/11/1973
Having lost him to Asylum, Columbia Records releases Dylan, a rag-tag collection of studio outtakes, mainly traditional songs and cover versions for which Dylan will receive few royalties. In later years, the album is deleted.
Big Yellow Taxi
Dylan Gets Asylum
2/11/1973
Dylan starts recording his first real album since New Morning, three years earlier. Backed by The Band, their only studio album together, he completes Planet Waves in five working days for Asylum Records.
President overthrown in Chile coup
11/9/1973
Starts Recording Film Soundtrack
20/1/1973
In Mexico City, Dylan starts to record the Pat Garret & Billy the Kid soundtrack album, which he concludes in Burbank, California the following month. The elegiac Knockin' on Heaven's Door comes from these sessions.
'Planet Waves' Released
17/1/1974
Amid Dylan's triumphant comeback tour, Planet Waves is released and charts well. Given the huge demand for tour tickets, though, sales are disappointing. While the tour features mainly old favourites, the album has a homespun quality. Highlights include Forever Young.
Forever Young
They Planted Stories in the Press
July 1974
American press reports suggest Dylan's marriage is breaking up. He is linked with the ex-wife of The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, a suggestion she refutes. Dylan, in fact, is having an affair with Columbia Records staffer, Ellen Bernstein.
Re-Signs to Columbia
2/8/1974
At Columbia Records annual convention in Los Angeles, it is announced that Dylan has re-signed to the company. The new deal is apparently more generous than before and gives Dylan greater control over what they issue in his name. In September, Dylan returns to the very studio in which he recorded his first six albums, doing some songs again in Minneapolis in December.
'Before the Flood' Released
20/6/1974
After considering releasing it himself, Dylan gives the live album from the tour with The Band to Asylum Records, as label boss David Geffen helped promote the concerts.
It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Painting Classes
Spring 1974
Dylan begins painting classes with Norman Raeben, a 73-year-old artist, who has no idea that his scruffy new student is famous. Dylan later said that Raeben taught him "to do consciously what I used to do unconsciously", which had a profound effect on his song writing.
On the Road Again
03/01/1974
The so-called comeback tour with The Band opens in Chicago. Five and half million people have applied for the 651,000 tickets available for the 40-date, 21-city tour. No longer heckled for appearing with The Band, Dylan is hailed as a returning hero.
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine
'Basement Tapes' Released
26/6/1975
At last, some of the much-bootlegged tracks from Dylan's 1967 sessions with The Band are officially released. The double LP set, overseen by Robbie Robertson, includes some overdubbing and some tracks by The Band without Dylan.
Million Dollar Bash
Hurricane Carter Benefit Concert
8/12/1975
The final Rolling Thunder show is at Madison Square Garden, a benefit for imprisoned boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose story Dylan sings at all 31 concerts. Though the first leg of the Rolling Thunder tour ends triumphantly, it is 10 years before Carter is released.
Hurricane (from Live 1975)
The Rolling Thunder Revue Tour Starts
30/10/1975
Kicking off in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Dylan headlines a high-energy, multi-artist show that includes Joan Baez and Jack Elliott. They are like a travelling circus troupe, taking in small and large auditoriums across New England, with a film crew in tow.
The Lonsesome Death of Hattie Carroll (from Live 1975)
Vietnam War Ends
30/4/1975
Back to the Village
June and July 1975
After a break in France, Dylan returns to Greenwich Village, hangs out with old pals like Ramblin' Jack Elliott, makes new pals like Patti Smith and starts co-writing with Jacques Levy. This is the genesis for both his next album and the Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
'Blood on the Tracks' Released
17/1/1975
Many of the songs on Blood on the Tracks are taken as painful reflections on the break-up of his relationship with his wife. Their son Jakob, of The Wallflowers, later said that the songs are "my parents talking". The album becomes a favourite with record buyers.
Tangled Up in Blue
'The Last Waltz'
25/11/1976
Dylan, with other musical luminaries like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, joins The Band for their farewell concert at the Winterland, San Francisco. Martin Scorsese films the celebratory event, the result often called the greatest concert movie of all time.
Baby Let Me Follow You Down
Night of the Hurricane: Take Two
25/1/1976
Dylan takes the Rolling Thunder Revue to Houston, Texas for a second Carter benefit show. They are joined by Stevie Wonder who plays a long set. The concert runs into legal and other problems and makes little money.
United States Celebrates Bicentennial
4/7/1976
'Desire' Released
16/1/1976
The album reflects the somewhat chaotic brilliance of the Rolling Thunder tour. The songs co-written with Jacques Levy have a filmic quality. The band is sharp and solid, energised by Scarlett Rivera's violin, and Emmylou Harris harmonises to good effect. Highlights include Isis, Sara and Hurricane.
Isis
Second Rolling Thunder Revue Tour Starts
18/4/1976
The second leg of the tour starts in Lakeland, Florida. With greater distances between shows (it crosses the southern states and goes up to Utah), the tone has changed and the atmosphere is more strained.
'Hard Rain' Filmed
23/5/1976
The penultimate show of the Rolling Thunder tour, outdoors in rain-drenched Fort Collins, Colorado, is filmed. Sara hears her husband sing a powerful rendition of Idiot Wind. The concert is later televised and released as an album.
Idiot Wind
In the Editing Room
All Year
Throughout 1977, Dylan and Howard Alk edit the 80 hours of film footage from the first Rolling Thunder tour. They wrought a four-hour film out of concert shots, documentary sequences and some improvisational acting.
Dylan Prepares for World Tour
December 1977
Dylan begins selecting musicians and rehearsing material for a forthcoming world tour, his first in 12 years, supposedly set up to pay for his divorce and to finance the film Renaldo & Clara.
Elvis Presley Dies
16/8/1977
Sara Files for Divorce
1/3/1977
Sara Dylan files for divorce, saying "My five children are greatly disturbed by my husband's behaviour and bizarre lifestyle". Though the divorce is finalised in June, consequential proceedings, particularly over their children, continue throughout the year.
Allen Ginsberg Interviews Dylan
15/10/1977
While visiting Dylan, poet Allen Ginsberg talks to him at length about the almost-finished Renaldo & Clara. In the course of several interviews, Dylan explains his thinking behind the film. At one point he asks, "Is this too intellectual, Allen?"
'Renaldo & Clara' Released
25/1/1978
The nearly four-hour film opens in New York and Los Angeles but is savaged by critics. During this period, Dylan conducts a number of interviews to publicise the film, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I've had a bad year or two… I've got a few bills to pay off".
God Finds Bob
17/11/1978
At the San Diego concert, someone throws a small silver cross on stage which Dylan picks up and puts in his pocket. He later claims "the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" then appeared to him. He begins to wear the cross in concert, amends lyrics to include Bible references and unveils a new, overtly Christian song.
Slow Train
AKA the 'Alimony Tour'
20/2/1978
Starting with his first ever shows in Japan, Dylan embarks on a mammoth 115-date tour across Australasia, Europe and North America. Featuring "cast-iron songs and torch ballads", he plays to more than 2 million people and grosses in excess of $20 million.
Just Like a Woman (At Bukodan)
American Tour Less Triumphant
15/9/1978
Dylan opens the North American leg of this world tour in Augusta, Maine. After the rapturous response in Europe, reaction is muted. Critics consider the show overblown and call it the 'Vegas Tour'. After so many concerts, Dylan and his band seem weary.
Sex Pistol Vicious on murder charge
12/10/1978
'Street-Legal' Released
15/6/1978
Recorded in his rehearsal studio with his large touring band ("I couldn't find the right producer"), Street Legal disappoints many in the United States. It is well-received in Britain, where its release follows his successful concerts.
Senor
British Triumphs
13/6/1978
Dylan's first of six nights at Earl's Court receives hyperbolic press coverage (such as the Daily Mail headline, 'The Greatest Concert I Have Ever Seen' and The Sun's, 'Dylan Lives up to His Legend'). A month later, he closes his European tour with an extra show at Blackbushe Aerodrome, Surrey before an estimated audience of 200,000.
'Slow Train Coming' Released
18/8/1979
Not always well-received by critics, Dylan's first Christian album nevertheless sells very well, charting high in USA and Britain. All nine tracks proclaim Dylan's born-again beliefs, the lyrics sometimes railing against non-believers and complaining about "all that foreign oil controlling American soil".
Gotta Serve Somebody
Ayatollah Khomeini assumes power in Iran
11/2/1979
Bible Studies
January 1979
A girlfriend Mary asks two pastors from the Vineyard Fellowship to speak to Dylan and he starts a three-month course at the School of Discipleship on "the life of Jesus, principles of discipleship, what it is to be a believer, how to grow, and how to share".
Dylan Performs on National Television
20/10/1979
Dylan cancels planned shows in Texas to appear on NBC's Saturday Night Live, performing three gospel songs from his latest album - Gotta Serve Somebody, I Believe In You and When You Gonna Wake Up.
The Gospel Tours Start
1/11/1979
Dylan starts a controversial religious tour with a two-week residency in a small theatre in San Francisco, playing only songs from Slow Train Coming and his forthcoming album, Saved. While Dylan's energy is undeniable, his sermonising irks many. The San Francisco Chronicle brands the concert, "Dylan's God-awful Gospel".
Reagan Beats Carter in Landslide
4/11/1980
Dire Straits Sought
29/3/1979
After attending a Dire Straits show in Los Angeles, Dylan asks Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on the sessions for his next album, which he records in Muscle Shoals in May, with Jerry Wexler producing.
Back on the Road Again
11/1/1980
Dylan opens in Portland, Oregon, to start a month-long tour from the north-west to the south-east of the United States. Again, he sings only his recent religious songs. There is a newspaper report that, while in Seattle, Dylan buys an engagement ring.
'Saved' Released
20/6/1980
Faced with sceptical audiences, Dylan and band had performed fiery versions of these songs in concert (reminiscent of 1966, perhaps) but they fail to deliver in the studio. The album cover shows the hand of God pointing to upraised human hands. The album does not sell well.
Solid Rock
Dylan Resumes Touring
17/4/1980
Dylan kicks off another month-long tour in Toronto. Again, he delivers evangelical raps as well as religious songs, ignoring his back catalogue. Two Toronto shows are filmed and recorded but neither has been officially released.
Wins First Grammy Award
27 February 1980
A dinner-suited Dylan sings Gotta Serve Somebody ('Best Male Rock Vocal Performance") at the ceremony, a strong, six-minute rendition. He changes some words and blows a wild harmonica solo. In his acceptance speech, Dylan says, "I want to thank the Lord for it".
Back in the Studio Again
11/2/1980
Encouraged by the performances in concert, Dylan takes his touring band straight into the Muscle Shoals Studios, spending a week recording more of his gospel songs.
A Return to Touring
9/11/1980
After a lay-off, Dylan starts another tour. The San Francisco shows are advertised as 'retrospective' and he includes old favourites as well as religious songs. At one show, Mike Bloomfield, the original guitarist on the single, guests on Like a Rolling Stone.
Last Tour for Three Years
16/10/1981
Dylan starts another tour, this time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ending more than a month later with an epic, 28-song show, in Lakeland, Florida. After four years on the road, this will be his last concert for three years, other than the occasional guest appearance.
Dylan in New York
8/1/1981
Dylan is seen in New York and is believed to have visited Yoko Ono following the murder of John Lennon the previous month. There are reports that Dylan and some of his staff wear bullet-proof vests during the 1981 tour.
Albert Grossman Sues His Former Client
8/5/1981
Dylan's former manager files a lawsuit in New York, claiming back royalties and punitive damages. Later, Dylan counterclaims on 18 different points. The legal battle drags on for several years.
'Shot of Love' Released
12/8/1981
Dylan's bible-thumping has transmuted into a more universal religiosity. The final songs on Dylan's albums have a special significance and Every Grain of Sand highlights this change. The album gets a mixed reception but Dylan often speaks highly of it.
Every Grain of Sand
Back in Europe
21/6/1981
Following a few warm-up shows in the States, Dylan opens a European tour in Toulouse, France. While some shows lack lustre, most are received enthusiastically but, on the last night of the tour in Avignon, tragedy strikes and there are two deaths in the audience.
Iran Hostages Released
21/1/1981
Reunited with Joan Baez
6/6/1982
Bob is Joan Baez's guest at Peace Sunday, a Pasadena concert supporting nuclear disarmament. They sing three songs together, including an awful rendition of Blowin' in the Wind. Dylan appears to have difficulty remembering the words.
Ready to Record Again
22/12/1982
Dylan visits Frank Zappa at home and plays him some new songs. Dylan is looking for a new producer. Apparently, he also approached David Bowie and Elvis Costello but was turned down
Tragic Death of a Long-Time Friend
1/1/1982
Howard Alk, Dylan's collaborator on the films Eat the Document and Renaldo & Clara, dies in Dylan's California rehearsal studios.
Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
15 March 1982
Dylan is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at a New York dinner. He says, "I think is pretty amazing really, because I can't read or write a note of music". He asks to be photographed with that year's Lifetime Achievement recipient, Dinah Shore.
Dylan Gets His Man
January 1983
Dylan visits Power Station Studios in New York, where Dire Straits are recording, and asks Mark Knopfler to produce his next album. Knopfler accepts and, in subsequent months, they discuss musicians and Dylan gives Knopfler some demos.
Dylan Addresses the MTV Generation
October 1983
Dylan makes his first music video since Subterranean Homesick Blues in 1965. For the forthcoming single, Sweetheart Like You, he uses several post-punk band members but mimes unconvincingly. He seems ill at ease with the whole process.
Sweetheart Like You
US Troops Invade Grenada
25/10/1983
'Infidels' Released
1/11/1983
Infidels is hailed as a comeback but, while several songs come over well, others get a more jaundiced reaction. The album becomes noted for the quality of the material omitted, such as Blind Willie McTell, as much as for what is released.
Neighbourhood Bully
Photographed in Jerusalem
19/9/1983
Dylan, in Jerusalem with Sara for the bar mitzvah of his son, is pictured wearing a yarmulke. After press speculation that Dylan has returned to Judaism, the Vineyard Fellowship claims that he is still a Christian.
Records Next Album
11/4/1983
Dylan returns to Power Station Studios for a month of recording. He and Knopfler disagree over song selection and mixing. After a break, Dylan goes back without Knopfler to overdub some new vocals (new lyrics in one case) and add back-up vocals and extra instruments.
Dylan sees The Clash and Others
June 1982
Dylan takes his son Jakob to see The Clash in Hollywood. Later that summer, in Minneapolis, he goes with his eldest son, Jesse, to see a range of performers (including Alley Cats, Big Joe Turner, Stray Cats, Kris Kristofferson, Squeeze and Elvis Costello).
Another Dylan Video
March 1984
The video of Jokerman only requires Dylan to lip-synch the chorus, which he does a little unconvincingly. The lyrics are shown on screen, illustrated by a series of paintings and photographs. It is most affecting.
Jokerman
'Real Live' Released
3/12/1984
Recorded during the European tour, Dylan's fourth live album in 10 years offers a largely dismal selection from a mixed tour. Tangled Up in Blue is perhaps the highlight only because Dylan incorporates verses not on the studio album version.
Tangled Up in Blue
No TV Talking on 'Late Night with Letterman'
22/3/1984
Backed by various LA punk musicians, Dylan makes a rare TV appearance on David Letterman's talk show. He delivers a blistering three-song set, opening with Sonny Boy Williamson's Don't Start Me Talking. He doesn't start talking but does laugh when Letterman suggests he come back every week to play.
Bono Interviews Dylan
8/7/1984
Bono interviews Dylan for an Irish music paper when the tour gets to Dublin. Dylan admits that he occasionally "likes to piss people off" and that writing the gospel songs on Slow Train Coming had "scared" him. He breaks off at one point to meet folksinger Paul Brady.
'We Are the World'
28/1/1985
In the midst of recording his next album, a nervous-looking Dylan contributes four lines to the American charity single, after help and support from Stevie Wonder. Dylan later says, "The money going to starving people in Africa is a worthwhile idea… but I wasn't so convinced about the message of the song".
Tours Europe with Carlos Santana
28/5/1984
Dylan opens his first tour for three years in Verona, Italy. The band includes some veteran British rockers but the show does not live up to the promise of the Letterman appearance. Some concerts are better, such as the one filmed in Barcelona, but there is no US tour for this band.
Ethiopian Famine
1/1/1985
'Biograph' Box-Set Released
28/10/1985
This acclaimed five-LP career retrospective box includes 53 tracks, 18 previously unreleased, and two fascinating additions: song-by-song commentary by Dylan and an essay and interview by Cameron Crowe. Dylan's rehabilitation continues.
Caribbean Wind
Dylan Goes to Moscow
25/7/1985
Maybe distancing himself from the Live Aid debacle, Dylan appears unannounced at a poetry festival in Moscow, invited by poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and sings three songs. He then travels to Odessa, from which his forebears had emigrated, spending over two weeks away.
Rehabilitation at Farm Aid
22/9/1985
Prompted by Dylan's contentious Live Aid comments, Willie Nelson organises a fund-raising concert for debt-ridden American farmers, in Champaign, Illinois. Dylan delivers an energetic set backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with whom, following his Live Aid experience, he has rehearsed for several days beforehand.
'Empire Burlesque' Released
8/6/1985
Dylan had asked dance music producer Arthur Baker to mix his new album. "I want to sell a lot of records", he said, but synthesisers and drum machines don't achieve this. Sales are poor and reviews are mixed. While the album is largely 80s-sounding, it ends with Dark Eyes, a solo, acoustic song.
Tight Connection
Debacle at Live Aid
13/7/1985
Dylan closes the two-city show with a shambolic three-song set accompanied by Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. The worse for wear, they cannot hear the monitors because of the finale gathering unseen behind them. Dylan even offends Bob Geldof by suggesting some of the proceeds go to struggling American farmers.
True Confessions Tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5/2/1986
Energised by his Farm Aid experience, Dylan opens a Far East tour in New Zealand. He includes a number of cover songs, often 1950s pop material, and the show gets better and better. Two shows in Australia are filmed by HBO.
Iran-Contra Scandal
27/6/1986
'Hearts of Fire' - Another Bad Move
17/8/1986
A London press conference heralds Dylan's arrival to play a retired rocker turned chicken farmer on the comeback trail. Filming takes over two months, ending near Toronto, where he finally assents to a BBC interview, during which he sketches throughout.
'Hearts of Fire' Does Not Set Hearts Afire
9/10/1987
Dylan doesn't attend the premiere of Hearts of Fire, his second major film and a dismal disappointment. It closes soon after and never gets theatrical release in America. The release of Dylan's soundtrack album, four days later, does nothing to improve matters.
Albert Grossman Dies
25/1/1986
Dylan's former manager dies of a heart attack on a flight to London but the legal wrangles continue. The following year Dylan settles with Grossman's widow, the lady in red on the front of Bringing It All Back Home, but Dylan gains full ownership of his song publishing rights.
Secret Marriage
4/6/1986
Dylan marries Carolyn Dennis, a backing singer with whom he's had a relationship for some years, apparently for the benefit of their daughter, Desiree, born in January (the marriage does not become public until 2001). Three days later, Dylan starts a two-month US tour.
'Knocked Out Loaded' Released
8/8/1986
Just three songs are written by Dylan alone, suggesting he has writer's block. Brownsville Girl, co-written with actor/playwright Sam Sheppard, stands out from a generally disappointing album that does nothing for Dylan's reputation.
Brownsville Girl
Reagan-Gorbachev Summit
8/12/1987
Dylan Plays with George Harrison
19/2/1987
Dylan, Harrison and John Fogerty join Taj Mahal and Jesse Ed Davis on stage at a Hollywood club, playing for 90 minutes. Dylan plays guitar throughout and adds a few desultory backing vocals but seems to enjoy himself.
Tours with The Grateful Dead
4/7/1987
After working on some100-odd songs together in June, Dylan and The Grateful Dead open a six-date stadium tour in Massachusetts. The shows are recorded by The Dead's crew and a live album eventually comes out in 1989.
First Concert in Israel
5/9/1987
Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers resume touring together, joined by Roger McGuinn, with a show in Tel Aviv, Dylan's first concert appearance in Israel. The tour moves on to Europe. The set lists vary, with Dylan occasionally giving some songs rare outings.
TV evangelist quits over sex scandal
21/2/1988
Plays with U2
20/4/1987
Dylan guests with U2 during their encore at a Los Angeles concert, singing I Shall Be Released and Knockin' on Heaven's Door, though Bono's improvising suggest he thinks he can improve on Dylan's original lyrics.
Short Residency in New York
16/10/1988
Following a three-week break from touring and two warm-up shows in Pennsylvania, Dylan starts four nights of shows at Radio City Music Hall. Disappointingly, Dylan's voice has not recovered from the previous, long tour.
'Down in the Groove' Released
31/5/1988
Mostly cover versions and with a host of guest musicians, this hotchpotch of an album does nothing to support Bruce Springsteen's contention, earlier in the year, about the quality of Dylan's recent works.
Silvio
The Never-Ending Tour Begins
7/6/1988
Dylan opens a long tour in Concord, California. It sets the pattern for future years and becomes known as the Never-Ending Tour. The put-together four-piece band packs some punch and, while the shows are shorter than before, Dylan offers a wide repertoire, strongly delivered. His voice suffers, though, towards the end of the tour.
Dylan Helps George - From Small Acorns…
April 1988
Dylan agrees to George Harrison using his home studio at short notice, with Jeff Lynne producing and Roy Orbison and Tom Petty tagging along. Handle With Care, the outcome of their fun time together, presages the formation of The Travelling Wilburys.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee
20/1/1988
Dylan is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York. Bruce Springsteen orates, "There isn't a soul in this room who does not owe you their thanks" adding that Dylan's recent work is "unjustly under-appreciated".
'Travelling Wilburys Volume 1' Released
18/10/1988
The rather informal way in which this album started in April belies its charm. Its success - it is the first double platinum album in Dylan's career - is overshadowed by the death of Roy Orbison in December.
Tweeter and the Monkey Man
Records Next Album
March 1989
Dylan records in New Orleans, at makeshift studios set up by Daniel Lanois, with some overdubs and new vocals being added in April and the final mixing completed in May.
'Oh Mercy' Released
22/9/1989
For the first time in four years, Dylan releases an entirely self-composed album. Dylan's 'interesting' melodies and stimulating lyrics are combined with Daniel Lanois' soundscapes to produce what Dylan later aptly describes as "a haunting… album".
Ring Them Bells
The Never-Ending Tour Comes to Europe
27/5/1989
Dylan and his band open their European tour, ending a month later in Greece, where Dylan plays with Van Morrison for a BBC TV programme. Immediately after this, the US tour starts. It lasts more than two months, a gruelling schedule that takes its toll on Dylan's voice.
Massacre in Tiananmen Square
4/6/1989
More Concert Halls and Then Some
29/5/1990
After sessions for his own next album and as a Traveling Wilbury, Dylan kicks off another tour, this time in Canada, after which he does more shows in Europe. Following a break and extensive rehearsals, he begins another tour in Canada, again. After a further break, when he films a Wilburys video, he recommences touring on 11 October.
'Dylan and The Dead' Released
6/2/1989
With a song selection apparently made by Dylan over suggestions by The Dead, this album does little to enhance the reputations of either party.
I Want You
Longest Ever Dylan Gig
12/1/1990
In a kind-of public rehearsal for forthcoming shows, Dylan plays Toad's Place, a 700-capacity club in New Haven, Connecticut. In four sets between 8.45pm and 2.20am, he performs around 50 songs (of which 18 are cover versions), responds to requests and introduces some songs.
Nelson Mandela Released
11/2/1990
'Under the Red Sky' Released
11/9/1990
Dylan's first album of the 1990s, breezily produced by Don Was, is a little lightweight compared with Oh Mercy, showing nursery rhyme influences, perhaps from grandfatherhood. Early in the next year, Dylan records a nursery rhyme, This Old Man, for a charity album.
Under the Red Sky
Down in Some South American Town
18/1/1990
After warming-up at Princeton University, Dylan plays his first South American shows. The Sao Paulo festival is in front of more than 100,000 people. Moving to Europe, he ends with a triumphant week at London's Hammersmith Odeon, even playing piano at one point.
Into the Lion's Den, Perhaps
13/10/1990
Dylan performs Masters of War at a show at West Point Military Academy, an event more controversial to the press than the audience. After this show, he does a five-night residency in New York but continues touring until 18 November, ending in Detroit.
'Traveling Wilburys Volume 3' Released
23/10/1990
The Wilburys second album, whimsically entitled Volume 3, doesn't capture the magic of Volume One and doesn't sell as well. Though the Wilburys never perform live, Dylan has played at least one Wilbury song in concert - but rarely.
If You Belonged To Me
'Guitar Greats Festival' in Seville
17/10/1991
Dylan does Boots of Spanish Leather and two cover versions (Answer Me and Across the Borderline) to great effect, on acoustic guitar with help from Richard Thompson. Two electric songs with bands led by Jack Bruce and Keith Richards are less effective.
'The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3' Released
16/3/1991
Another career-spanning box set, this time 58 previously unreleased recordings, including magnificent songs omitted from his 1980s albums. The late John Bauldie, renowned Dylan chronicler, gets a Grammy nomination for the liner notes.
Blind Willie McTell
Operation Desert Storm
17/1/1991
No Holiday for Dylan
19/4/1991
Dylan doesn't let up. He opens an American tour in New Orleans; then, after a break, starts another European tour in Rome; followed immediately by more shows in America; and then, after another short break, returns to South America for seven shows.
No Let-Up in Touring Schedule
28/1/1991
Dylan tours Europe again, starting in Switzerland. His new band seems under-rehearsed and Dylan appears uninterested. Things do not improve and the week-long residency at the Hammersmith Odeon has few flashes of inspiration, not helped by dismal lighting.
Lifetime Achievement Award at Grammy's
20/2/1991
Jack Nicholson introduces Dylan, who looks out of sorts and performs a barely coherent version of Masters of War, amid the patriotic fervour of the first Gulf War. Accepting the award from Nicholson, Dylan hesitates a while before telling revealing what his father told him about defilement, to the bafflement of the audience.
Back on the Road Again
24/10/1991
Dylan ends the year with yet another American tour, starting in Texas, but, this time, he delivers some fine performances and, at one show, says Simple Twist of Fate is an "invasion of privacy" song.
Dylan Returns to the Letterman TV Show
18/1/1992
Dylan guests on the 10th anniversary Letterman show, with an all-star band this time. Like a Rolling Stone, even with backing singers Mavis Staples, Roseanne Cash, Nanci Griffith, Michelle Shocked and Emmylou Harris, is not worth staying in for, however.
'Good As I Been to You' Released
3/11/1992
Lo-tech recording in his home studio produces this solo album (just voice, guitar and harmonica) of traditional or traditional-sounding folk and blues songs. A superb reminder of Dylan's roots, it includes Canadee-I-O, another from Nic Jones' Penguin Eggs album.
Canadee-I-O
Clinton Beats Bush
4/11/1992
Another Month, Another Tour
23/10/1992
Dylan's response to all this hubris is to hit the road again, starting in Delaware and mainly sticking to the East Coast. At one show, Dylan tries Farewell to the Gold, probably heard on Nic Jones' Penguin Eggs album.
Thirtieth Anniversary Tribute Concert
16/10/1992
Somewhat belatedly, Columbia Records presents this tribute at Madison Square Garden. Messrs Cash, Young, Reed, Clapton and Harrison head a strong supporting cast, though Dylan seems the worse for wear when he appears. Columbia recoups its outlay with a CD and video release.
My Back Pages
Touring Down Under
18/3/1992
Dylan kicks off an extensive Australian tour, does a show in New Zealand, another in Hawaii and then down the West Coast of America, ending with eight shows at the historic Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. This tour is noted for the storming return of Idiot Wind.
Bill Clinton's Presidential Inauguration
17/1/1993
In sparkly cowboy gear, Dylan performs Chimes of Freedom as part of Clinton's inauguration celebrations - a great choice had Dylan but sung clearly. Bill and Hilary look cheerful, while daughter Chelsea shakes her head, perhaps in disbelief.
The Endless Road
26/6/1992
Dylan opens a brief European tour in Sweden, ending in Antibes, where he attempts to sing Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe. After a break, during which he records in his home studio, he starts another North American tour, including five nights in Minneapolis, almost his home town. His mother and brother attend one show
Ambush at Waco, Texas
19/4/1993
Back to Europe Yet Again
12/6/1993
Dylan co-headlines the Fleadh Festival with Van Morrison, before three shows in Israel and another European tour, at the end of which he films a video in Camden Town (with Dave Stewart) for Blood in My Eye, a song recorded in his home studio before the tour.
Tours with Santana
20/8/1993
Dylan and Santana tour for the better part of two months, Dylan doing shorter sets but not stepping up the quality, even starting to repeat one song later in the same show.
Dylan Tries His Own 'Unplugged'
16 - 17 November 1993
Dylan films four shows over two nights at New York's Supper Club for an Unplugged-style TV show. Fans that got free tickets are ecstatic. With his band limited to acoustic instruments, Dylan really rises to the occasion but the film is never shown.
'World Gone Wrong' Released
24/10/1993
In addition to the home-recorded acoustic songs, Dylan provides sleeve notes about music from "before the insane world of entertainment exploded in our faces". He must be doing something right because it later wins a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk album.
Delia
Another Year, Another Tour
5/2/1993
In Dublin, Dylan opens his European tour that includes another week at the Hammersmith Odeon (now Apollo) but it is somewhat disappointing. After one on-stage problem, Dylan even assures the audience, "This has been rehearsed a hundred times".
Willie Nelson's Big Six-O
28/4/1993
After a brief southern tour, Dylan takes part in a television special for Willie Nelson's birthday in Austin. They duet to great effect on Pancho and Lefty, then Dylan then matches it with Hard Times, backed by most of his band. They can do it!
Woodstock II
14/8/1994
During the August tour, Dylan plays Woodstock II, even though he spurned the original festival. It's the first Never Ending Tour show in over 600 to be televised. He delivers a strong set, getting a positive response from the younger crowd, though not from Radio One's Johnny Walker.
Yasser Arafat Ends Exile
1/7/1994
Tribute to Van Morrison
January 1994
Dylan contributes to the plaudits offered to Van Morrison by the British Phonographic Industry but he says nothing fresh or insightful.
Performs with an Orchestra
20 - 22 May 1994
Dylan sings at the Great Music Experience, by the Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, backed by an orchestra. Controlled, Dylan excels on A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, I Shall Be Released and Ring Them Bells - a very great music experience, indeed.
'MTV Unplugged' Recorded
17 - 18 November
MTV and Sony insist on a greatest hits package and Dylan, reluctantly it is said, demurs. Although seeming an uncomfortable experience for him, album and video sell well, though whether it's Dylan or the Unplugged brand is unclear. Not the great music experience we got in Japan in May.
Touring Yet Again
February - November 1994
Dylan tours throughout the year - Japan and the Far East in February, the States in April and early May, Europe in July, the States again in August and the States yet again in October and November. 104 shows this year, in all!
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Opening
2/9/1995
At a concert to mark the museum's opening, Dylan plays a short but strong set of five songs, on the last of which, Forever Young, he duets with Bruce Springsteen.
Prague Spring
11/3/1995
The year's first show is a stunner. Struck down by a bug that delays the tour a day, Dylan barely plays guitar at all but delivers a full set armed only with a harmonica. Though still clearly suffering, his vocal and breath control are astoundingly good. Just what the doctor ordered.
OJ Simpson: Not Guilty
3/10/1995
Dylan Gets Stoned
27/7/1995
During his European tour, Dylan supports The Rolling Stones at Montpellier, France, coming out to join them on Like a Rolling Stone - rather appropriate really, even if it's a ragged performance.
'MTV Unplugged' Released
25/4/1995
The "unplugged" formula has enlivened many an artist's performance but Dylan's showing is curiously subdued for someone grounded in the acoustic tradition. More curiously, an extra song, Love Minus Zero, is added to the European release.
Desolation Row
Frank Sinatra Tribute
19/11/1995
Dylan joins a televised 80th birthday tribute to Sinatra who, according to press reports, asked him for Restless Farewell, perhaps attracted by its "I did it my way" sentiments. Backed by his own band and a string quartet, Dylan delivers a direct and inspired performance.
Major Touring Schedule
March - December 1995
Dylan performs 116 shows, the most ever in a year so far. He plays Europe in March and April, America followed by Europe from May to July (including shows with Elvis Costello in London), America again from September to November and then, with Patti Smith as support, more American shows in December.
Dylan Plays Corporate Gig
2/2/1996
In Phoenix, Arizona, Dylan plays nine songs at a corporate event sponsored by Nomura Securities, for an exclusive and select group of 250 lucky people. After so many shows in the previous year, even by his standards, Dylan then takes a break from touring but does some studio work
And Now for Something Completely Similar…
17/10/1996
After a two-month lay-off, Dylan takes to the road in San Luis Obispo, California to do another 28 concerts in America, bringing his total to a mere 86 shows for this year.
Plays for Prince Charles
29/6/1996
In the course of a further European tour, during which he is joined by former session man Al Kooper for a few shows, Dylan plays a nine-song set at the Prince's Trust concert in Hyde Park, joining the line-up of performers to meet Prince Charles afterwards.
Comeback Kid Wins Second Term
6/11/1996
Olympic Endeavour
3 - 4 August 1996
Just after the end of his European tour, Dylan plays two shows at the House of Blues in Atlanta, Georgia, during the course of the summer Olympic Games there.
Nobel Prize Nomination
28 September 1996
It is announced that Professor Gordon Ball of the Virginia Military Institute has nominated Dylan for the Nobel Prize for Literature "because of the worldwide influence of his songs and literature", adding, "He has restored the oral tradition with his minstrelsy". Despite support from poet laureate Andrew Motion, Dylan does not win.
Who Are These Rainy Day Women?
13/4/1996
Dylan starts another US tour and the break seems to have suited him. During Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35, at a show in Richmond, Virginia, some women get up on stage and dance along. They do not declare their numbers.
Plays For the Holy Father
27/9/1997
Invited to play at the World Eucharist Conference in Bologna, Dylan notes, "You don't say no to the Vatican". He rehearses beforehand, including With God on Our Side, but it's not one of his three songs. The Pope delivers a sermon mentioning Dylan's lyrics.
Father and Son
14/11/1997
As the new band starting to gell, with new arrangements of old songs and new songs from a successful album, Dylan begins to deliver during tours in England and America, which include this corporate gig in San Jose, where he shares the bill with the Wallflowers, his son's band.
'Time Out of Mind' Released
30/9/1997
Produced, like Oh Mercy, by Daniel Lanois, it is Dylan's first all-original album for seven years. Sombre songs about aging and solitude are taken to refer to his illness in May but were recorded months earlier. Some say it's a classic. Dylan says, "I'm used to my records being slagged off".
Not Dark Yet
Wins Prominent National Honour
7/12/1997
Wearing a tuxedo and watched by his proud mother, Dylan receives the Kennedy Center Award from President Clinton, attending a White House reception the day after. He returns to a tour of small venues, ending a productive year with five nights at a Hollywood theatre.
The Never-Ending Tour, An Ever-Changing Band
Early 1997
After recording sessions, Dylan plays Japan and, having changed drummers last year, drops his guitarist, a veteran of 581 gigs, for a multi-instrumentalist (11 instruments!) before Canadian and American shows. He also fits in a charity event for the Simon Weisenthal Center.
Obituary Writers Start Twitching
25/5/1997
Just turned 56, Dylan goes into hospital with histoplasmosis, a swelling around the heart. He later admits "I really thought I'd be seeing Elvis soon". Treated by drugs and rest, he's back on the road only 10 weeks later, for 22 American and Canadian shows.
A Thousand Shows and Climbing
3/7/1998
After triple-headlining Canadian and West Coast shows with Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell, Dylan does another European tour, some with Van again, and includes Glastonbury. The Montreux show is his 1000th on the Never-Ending Tour, 10 years after it all began.
With Support from Patti Smith
August - September 1998
After a warm-up gig in a Melbourne club, 14 concerts in Australia and New Zealand (with Patti Smith in support) are followed by two in Hawaii and a further six in the western states. With barely a three-week gap, he's off again but the performance remains high.
Triple Grammy Winner
25/2/1998
After 23 US shows, some with Van Morrison, Dylan attends the Grammys where Time Out of Mind wins him Best Album and Best Contemporary Folk Album awards and Cold Irons Bound wins as Best Male Rock Vocal Performance but, perversely, Dylan performs Love Sick.
The Unrelenting Road
15/10/1998
Dylan ends the year with another 17 North American shows, starting again in Canada and including one in the town of his birth, Duluth, Minnesota, which he left aged 6. 1997's Love Sick was performed 104 times this year but 1974's Tangled Up in Blue an amazing 110 times.
'Live 1966' Released
13/10/1998
The famous so-called Royal Albert Hall bootleg, actually recorded in Manchester, is released in all its raging glory. The electric half ends with the time-stopping "Judas" shout and Dylan's cataclysmic response. Rock history before your very ears!
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Like a Rolling Stone in South America
April 1998
After two warm-up shows in Miami Beach, Dylan plays South American shows as support for The Rolling Stones, whom he joins on-stage for, as in 1995, Like a Rolling Stone. Thankfully it's better rehearsed this time.
Dylan Appears on Dharma & Greg
October 1999
Dylan appears with a pick-up band in an episode of the TV comedy Dharma & Greg, in which Dharma auditions as a drummer in his band. At the end of the episode, called Play Lady Play, the band improvises a little polka, taking Dylan back to his Minnesota roots.
Dylan and Simon
5/6/1999
Dylan and Paul Simon start a two-month tour together. They duet each night but, musically, do not co-exist naturally. Simon likes to rehearse and Dylan prefers the moment. It is a commercial success, though, and they do another 10 shows in September.
Bringing It All Back Home
3/7/1999
During the tour with Paul Simon, Dylan again plays the town of his birth, Duluth, Minnesota. This time, he points and tells the crowd, "You know, I was born right up on that hill, over there". So why is it only your second show there, then?
Dylan Co-Headlines with Phil Lesh
27/10/1999
After a couple of warm-up shows in Chicago, Dylan shares the bill with the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and does a few more of his own, ending on a very positive note, with lots of interesting song variation. A good end to a good year, as the new millennium beckons.
Dylan Helps Clapton
30/6/1999
Dylan joins Clapton at Madison Square Garden for a show in support of Eric's drug rehabilitation centre, playing seven songs together at the end, only two of which make the TV broadcast.
The Road is His Mistress
5/4/1999
In an interview with USA Today, Dylan says, "That's where my fixation is, in performing". He's just toured America again for five weeks and is about to start another month-long tour in Europe. He will perform a record 121 shows this year.
'The Essential Bob Dylan' Released
31/10/2000
Part of Columbia's Essential series, this double album is a place for the new fan to start. The European version, released in 2001, has six more tracks plus sleeve notes by Britain's Patrick Humphries. Both versions include Things Have Changed.
George W Bush Elected
13/11/2000
With Barely a Break, He's Touring Again
15/6/2000
After just two weeks off the road, Dylan starts yet another North American tour - 33 shows in 46 days supporting Phil Lesh. Dylan's live version of Friend of the Devil is included on a tribute album to the Grateful Dead, issued on their own label during the tour.
'Wonderboys' Soundtrack Released
15/2/2000
The soundtrack from Wonderboys includes a new Dylan song, Things Have Changed, specially written for the film, a wonderfully world-weary song. An on-form Dylan performs it during a US tour of 25 shows in 28 days, starting on 10 March.
Things Have Changed
Plays Small Dublin Venue
13/9/2000
Dylan opens another four-week European tour at a small club, Vicar Street, in Dublin. Towards the end of the tour, he premieres a jazzy version of 1970's If Dogs Run Free. Dylan's performance standard is uniformly high throughout the year.
Dylan Gets Sweden's Polar Music Prize
15/5/2000
During another month-long European tour from 6 May, Dylan gets the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm from King Carl XVI Gustaf but does not perform. Bryan Ferry does A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall in his honour. Dylan seems disconnected from the ceremony.
Continues Touring
29/10/2000
Dylan starts another tour and must be enjoying it because, at the very last show, he even does a double encore. Tangled Up In Blue is again the most performed song, done at 111 of his 112 shows this year.
Dylan Films Major Interview
January 2001
Reports say Dylan recently spent five days filming an interview, to provide material for a future TV programme about his life. Others involved in Dylan's career over the years have previously been interviewed as part of this project.
Wins Oscar
25/3/2001
Nominated for Things Have Changed, Dylan is unable to attend but telecasts a performance of the song from Sydney. He wins and is clearly delighted. When later given a replica, he keeps it on stage and, occasionally, raises it aloft to the audience.
Back to Touring
24/6/2001
Dylan starts a European tour in Norway, ending in Sicily a month later, as Mount Etna fumes. In August, he does some American shows, many being State Fairs. And in November and December, he does more American shows. This year, he tops 100 shows again.
US Terror Attacks
11/9/2001
Happy 60th Bob
24/5/2001
After tours in Japan, Australia and America, Dylan takes a break around his 60th birthday. Japan sees the release of a compilation CD, covering almost 40 years of live shows - rather fitting in view of this landmark birthday.
Golden Globe Award
21/1/2001
Phil Collins presents Dylan with the Best Original Song award from The Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Things Have Changed but the song fails to get him a Grammy in February, despite being nominated in two categories.
'Love and Theft' Released
11/9/2001
Of his new album of original material Dylan says, "The songs are variations on the 12-bar theme and blues-based melodies". He draws much lyrical inspiration from those old songs, too. In interview, Dylan mentions he's writing his memoirs.
Mississippi
Dylan Gets a Lesser Grammy
27/2/2002
Despite good reviews, Love and Theft fails to win the Best Album Grammy. Dylan, at the end of a month-long US tour, performs Cry a While at the event and comes away with the Best Contemporary Folk Album award, a slight consolation.
Honours George Harrison
13/11/2002
At Madison Square Garden, the venue for Concert for Bangladesh over 30 years earlier, Dylan performs a moving version of Something, his personal tribute to George Harrison as he can't attend the upcoming Concert For George to mark the anniversary of his friend's death.
'Live 1975' Released
26/11/2002
Live 1975 is a compilation of recordings from the first Rolling Thunder Revue tour. The forcefulness of Dylan's delivery and the wild, gypsy flavour to the music ensure that this release deservedly gets uniformly good reviews.
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Back to the Newport Festival
3/8/2002
Near the start of another month-long US tour, Dylan plays the Newport Festival for the first time since 1965, sporting a fake beard and wig, perhaps to spite the press interest in what, to him at least, is just another show on another tour.
Dylan Makes His Own Movie
July 2002
Having co-written Masked and Anonymous, Dylan shoots the film on a tight schedule. He plays an aging rock star, out of prison to play a concert to save a corrupt world, with support from several Hollywood stars. He shoots the concert sequence with his tour band.
More Tours
Spring to Fall 2002
A promising Stockholm show opens a 5-week Spring tour of Europe, which has the occasional mishap and some unexpected songs along the way but ends with two decidedly ordinary shows at London's Docklands. By the Fall, when he does 37 North American shows in 7 weeks, Dylan plays piano rather than guitar, varies the songs more and includes, at each show, at least one written by friend Warren Zevon, dying of cancer.
'Masked and Anonymous' Soundtrack Released
21/7/2003
This is a mixture of Dylan covers, some by obscure foreign groups, and songs Dylan specially recorded for the film but none are new. The film, released a week later, has a few more. The album gets better reviews than the film.
Come Una Pietra Scalciata
Dylan Ends European Tour in Triumph
23 - 25 November 2003
Dylan performs three London shows in three days at three different venues, doing 37 different songs overall, to great acclaim. He even pulls some welcome old chestnuts out his capacious songbag, such as Romance in Durango, not performed for 27 years.
Bob and The Boss
2/10/2003
Just a few days before the start of another European tour, Dylan guests at Bruce Springsteen's Shea Stadium show. Despite his long performance pedigree, Dylan has never played there before. The two sing Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited together.
American Missiles Hit Baghdad
20/3/2003
Well, It Keeps Him Off the Streets...
Spring and Summer 2003
After an Antipodean tour in February, Dylan does more US tours in April and May and again in July and August. The most performed songs in 2003 are both from Love and Theft - Honest With Me and Summer Days, just under 100 times each.
'Masked and Anonymous' Screened
22/1/2003
Dylan's film, Masked and Anonymous, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival to generally critical disdain. Even Dylan's clothes, admittedly a bit eccentric, receive negative comment.
Scorsese to Direct TV Film on Dylan
19/5/2003
The co-producers (some of whom were behind Masked and Anonymous) announce that Martin Scorsese will direct The Bob Dylan Anthology Project, with Dylan's support. It will cover Dylan's rise to fame up to 1966 and its impact.
'Live 1964' Released
15/3/2004
More complete than the bootlegs, Dylan's famed Halloween concert has Dylan, at the top of his acoustic game, less than a year before he "went electric". In a humorous and whimsical mood, Dylan is acclaimed as much by today's critics as by the audience then.
Gates of Eden
Accepts Honorary Degree in Scotland
23/6/2004
Touring again in Europe after a few American shows, Dylan accepts an honorary degree from St Andrews University. The next night, at Glasgow's renowned Barrowland ballroom, he even compliments the audience on their singalong.
Tours with Willie Nelson
4/8/2004
Dylan and Willie Nelson open a summer tour of minor league baseball stadiums. "We aim to touch all the bases and get home safely" says Dylan. In concert, they even do the odd song together, Dylan telling the crowd, "Willie and I go way back".
'Chronicles Volume One' Published
15/10/2004
During a tour of 29 American colleges, the first volume of Dylan's memoirs, Chronicles, is published. While the tour is pretty uninteresting, the book is the opposite, intimate but not revelatory. A supporting TV interview, in contrast, is empty.
'Masked and Anonymous' DVD Released
15/2/2004
The DVD's 15 minutes of extras show Dylan on screen but he is not interviewed. Soon after its release, Dylan is back on the road for a month and a half. In Detroit, Jack White joins him as they do the White Stripes' Ball & Biscuit together.
Dylan is Victoria's Secret
25/1/2004
Dylan is well paid by ladies' underwear company Vicoria's Secret to fly in a private jet to Venice, where he films an advertisement in an ancient palazzo, with a scantily-dressed model. Some fans fume while others empathise with the put-upon Dylan.
There's More to Come...
Autumn - Winter 2005
Chronicles appears in paperback, the Bob Dylan Scrapbook is published and Dylan preapres for a sell-out UK tour in November. Bob keeps on ramblin...
'No Direction Home Soundtrack' Released
31/8/2005
Based on the Scorsese-directed film, these recordings are mostly unreleased: some private recordings, some live and some alternate studio takes. It is fascinating and astounding to hear the rate at which Dylan changed from 1959 to 1966.
'No Direction Home' Broadcast
26/9/2005
BBC Two in the UK and PBS in America broadcast Martin Scorsese's long-awaited documentary about Dylan's key creative years - 1959 - 1966. The film is acclaimed as a masterpiece.
Another Baseball Tour with Willie
16/7/2005
Dylan and Willie Nelson repeat last year's run-around with another summer tour of minor league baseball stadiums.
Dylan Tours with Merle Haggard
7/3/2005
Dylan opens a 39-date coast-to-coast tour in Seattle, mostly with Merle Haggard in support and playing several nights in each major city at a smaller venue.
