On October 21, 1961, Bob Dylan recorded his debut album, titled "Bob Dylan," at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. The album was produced by John Hammond, who had previously signed Dylan to Columbia Records. The recording session lasted just two days, with Dylan recording a total of 17 songs, 13 of which made it onto the final album.
The album pri ... Show More
Today
When Fans Became Detectives: The Paul Is Dead Hoax
On October 18th, 1968, the Beatles gathered at Abbey Road Studios and found themselves under a very different kind of spotlight than usual, because London police conducted a drug raid on John Lennon and Yoko Ono's flat on this day, leading to Lennon's arrest for cannabis possessi ... Show More
3m 18s
Yesterday
Talking Book at 50: Stevie Wonder's Creative Awakening
October 17th holds a sweet spot in music history thanks to Stevie Wonder, who on this day in 1972 released the album Talking Book, a record that basically rewired what pop and soul music could sound like. Stevie was only twenty two years old, already a veteran performer who had g ... Show More
2m 46s
Oct 16
October 16th in Music History: Hits, Capes and Controversy
On October 16th, 1964, London's Royal Albert Hall and clubs across the city were buzzing as the British blues and rock scene kept cooking, but if we zoom in on this exact date in music history, one of the juiciest stories lands in 1979, when the Buggles were riding high in the UK ... Show More
3m 14s
Jul 2020
The Endurance of Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways
On June 19th, Bob Dylan released his 39th album, Rough and Rowdy Ways -- his first full length album of original songs in nearly a decade. Throughout his career, Dylan has followed moments of silence with something wholly new. In the mid-sixties, after a motorcycle accident broug ... Show More
23m 18s
Feb 2025
Is Bob Dylan Still a ‘Complete Unknown’?
<p>Elijah Wald’s 2015 book, “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night That Split the Sixties,” traces the events that led up to Bob Dylan’s memorable performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The book is about Dylan, but also about the folk movement, youth c ... Show More
22m 46s