Bob Dylan's New York - (Excelsior Editions) by Dick Weissman (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A walking tour and history of Bob Dylan's life and time in New York, from Greenwich Village to Woodstock.

Bob Dylan's New York is a guidebook and a history of New York's key role through Dylan's lengthy career. It places Dylan's early career in the storied history of Greenwich Village, a hotbed of new developments in the arts. A contemporary of Dylan's, author Dick Weissman walked the same streets, played music in the same venues, and witnessed the growth of the folk music revival from before Dylan became popular to after the height of his impact on the music scene. The book features ten easy-to-follow walking maps and historic photographs, allowing the reader to retrace Dylan's footsteps and simultaneously experience Dylan's New York and contemporary New York. It also goes beyond the Village to include the many areas of the city where Dylan lived and worked, as well as the storied time he spent in Woodstock. Combining cultural history with personal history and anecdotes, Bob Dylan's New York illuminates the life and times of this seminal artist.

Review Quotes

"...Dick Weissman, a onetime musician turned college professor who traveled in Dylan's circles early in his career, has written a compact guidebook that brings the songwriter's days and nights in New York, especially in his early years, to life. And while his book contains some welcome detours, like a discussion of Dylan's time in Woodstock, the heart of the sites and stories lies in Greenwich Village, that perennial capital of Bohemian art and progressive lifestyles." - NYS Music

"You don't have to be a Dylan fan to enjoy this book ... Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to his music, Dylan changed popular concepts of folk, songwriting, singing, and even the harmonica. And it all started when he moved to the big city in 1961. This little book (146 pages including index) helps us understand that momentous move and place it in context." - Portland Folkmusic Society Local Lore

"Dick Weissman has an incredible memory, has done superb research, and presents a vivid, accurate picture of the New York folk music scene of the 1960s. He reminds me of old friends and old haunts in a fresh walk through a world I still miss. If you want to know about Bob's role in the 1960s folk music scene, read Dick Weissman's Bob Dylan's New York." - Terri Thal, former manager of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, the Holy Modal Rounders, and Maggie and Terre Roche

"...Dick Weissman, a onetime musician turned college professor who traveled in Dylan's circles early in his career, has written a compact guidebook that brings the songwriter's days and nights in New York, especially in his early years, to life. And while his book contains some welcome detours, like a discussion of Dylan's time in Woodstock, the heart of the sites and stories lies in Greenwich Village, that perennial capital of Bohemian art and progressive lifestyles." -- NYS Music

"You don't have to be a Dylan fan to enjoy this book ... Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to his music, Dylan changed popular concepts of folk, songwriting, singing, and even the harmonica. And it all started when he moved to the big city in 1961. This little book (146 pages including index) helps us understand that momentous move and place it in context." -- Portland Folkmusic Society Local Lore

"Dick Weissman has an incredible memory, has done superb research, and presents a vivid, accurate picture of the New York folk music scene of the 1960s. He reminds me of old friends and old haunts in a fresh walk through a world I still miss. If you want to know about Bob's role in the 1960s folk music scene, read Dick Weissman's Bob Dylan's New York." -- Terri Thal, former manager of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, the Holy Modal Rounders, and Maggie and Terre Roche

About the Author

Dick Weissman is Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver. He is the author of Which Side Are You On? An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America.