ESSAY

DYLAN AT THE CROSSROADS: How Bob Dylan's first single almost changed everything

SOURCES


— ‘In 1956, a 14-year-old Bob Dylan gave a rock 'n' roll concert at his high school. According to eyewitnesses it was mortifying, sending shockwaves through the local community.’ Page 18, Heylin, Clinton, ‘Behind the Shades: The 20th Anniversary Edition’ (Penguin, 2001); page 42, 43, Shelton, Robert, ‘No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan’, (Da Capo Press, 1997)

— ‘According to biographer Robert Shelton, when Dylan… continued to bash away at the piano, playing so hard that according to some he broke a pedal.’ Page 17, 18, Heylin, Clinton, ‘Behind the Shades: The 20th Anniversary Edition’ (Penguin, 2001); page 42, 43, Shelton, Robert, ‘No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan’, (Da Capo Press, 1997)

— ‘A role model for the rock 'n' roll generation, Brando was a town cowboy in The Wild One who had exchanged a horse for a motorbike.’ Page 44, Shelton, Robert, ‘No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan’, (Da Capo Press, 1997)

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe, ‘Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track’ (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2015)

Heylin, Clinton, ‘Behind the Shades: The 20th Anniversary Edition’ (Penguin, 2001)

Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe, ‘Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track’ (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2015)

Shelton, Robert, ‘No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan’, (Da Capo Press, 1997)

MORE FORM THE 1960s



OPINION

by David Rea

25 October 2025

MAKING A MASTERPIECE

By David Rea

18 October 2025

ESSAY

by David Rea

1 September 2025