As Bob Dylan reaches his 80th birthday it is perhaps surprising to realise that his first album, released in March 1962 and simply called Bob Dylan, only sold 5,000 copies in its first year, just enough to break even.
After a trip to the UK at the end of the year, he released his second album in May 1963, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, and he began to make his name as a singer-songwriter of distinction. His inspirations were many and varied, but high on the list were Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and many of his songs acquired the “protest song” label.
What has followed has been a monumental career with a body of work beyond comparison and with a legion of fans and countless musicians lining up to pay tribute.
We celebrate Bob’s milestone birthday and invite you to tune in to this living legend.
