The Ballad of Bob Dylan: A Portrait

In the first major biography of Dylan since his own Chronicles Daniel Mark Epstein draws on in-depth interviews with musicians and artists from Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Woody Guthrie's daughter and archivist, Nora, and celebrated film-maker Donn Pennebaker to the musicians of the Never Ending Tour. The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid portrait, nuanced and insightful, of the greatest songwriter of the twentieth-century. Bob Dylan's now legendary songs, from Blowin' in the Wind, Like A Rollin' Stone and Lay Lady Lay, have become classics, rooted, as they are, in the American musical tradition.Through first-hand accounts, reportage and a wealth of interviews with those who have known him for decades The Ballad of Bob Dylan is the most detailed picture yet of Dylan's prolific work. The author quotes extensively from Dylan's songs - a treat rarely granted, his fresh analysis of the lyrics is the foundation of this book.Beginning with Dylan's early concerts, to touring with the Grateful Dead where Dylan revived his career (under the influence of Jerry Garcia) to the recording of Time Out of Mind in 1997 and his 2009 tour, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a perceptive and lyrical account of an artist who continues to inspire and connect with millions.Daniel Mark Epstein is a poet and biographer, who has previously written critically acclaimed biographies of Nat King Cole, Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman. He is a folk and blues guitarist who performed at coffee houses during the folk revival of the 1960's and he continues to perform, and write music, today. 'The Ballad of Bob Dylan' is a vivid portrait, nuanced and insightful, of the greatest songwriter of the 20th century. Bob Dylan's now legendary songs, from 'Blowin in the Wind', 'Like A Rollin Stone' and 'Lay Lady Lay', have become classics, rooted, as they are, in the American musical tradition. Dylan's songs sound as if they have been part of the folk music tradition for centuries The Ballad of Bob Dylan examines the influences behind his songs. Through a combination of first hand accounts, reportage and a wealth of interviews with those who have known Dylan for decades The Ballad of Bob Dylan is the fullest picture yet of Dylan's work in the studio. The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid portrait, nuanced and insightful, of the greatest songwriter of the twentieth-century.

About the Author :
Daniel Mark Epstein (born October 25, 1948) is an American poet, dramatist, and biographer, best known for his biographies of Nat King Cole, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Bob Dylan and Abraham Lincoln, and his radio plays, Star of Wonder and The Two Menorahs which have become holiday mainstays on National Public Radio.

Review :
"Brilliant--that Daniel Mark Epstein is both a poet and a biographer stands him in good stead in this penetrating, compassionate (but utterly clear-eyed), beautifully written portrait of Bob Dylan as an artist and a man. Among the very best writing about Dylan, ever. In The Ballad of Bob Dylan, Daniel Mark Epstein does what few have been able to do at all, much less this well: capture that spirit, and in so doing, somehow manage to get closer to the essence of an American icon. Most interesting is Daniel Mark Epstein's 'The Ballad of Bob Dylan'... It's very lyrical, in that it's quite poetically written but also uses the lyrics as the sort of basis for talking about Bob Dylan. If you feel that you have an insatiable thirst for Bob Dylan biographies, you will be well served this month, probably best served by this one. The Ballad of Bob Dylan echoes Chronicles in centring on a series of distinct times and places in Dylan's life rather than attempting a fluid narrative. Epstein offers a portrait that explodes the semi-hostile cliché of much unauthorised biography. New interviews and photographs add depth to an account distinguished by a fine sensitivity to all aspects of Dylan's art, from the personal to the music's history, but Epstein also manages to put across a significant amount of biographical detail. What sets Epstein's book apart is its accessibility... Refreshingly direct and approachable... it is his own clear, emotional enthusiasm that carries the tale. An engrossing, episodic overview that benefits from Epstein's forty-plus-year commitment to enjoying the great man's uneven live performances.