Dylan started his musical odyssey in 1959 when he began playing in Dinkytown, Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. Shortly after starting to play he changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, after being influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas before legally changing his name in 1962.
Much of his best known work is from the 1960s, when he became an informal documentarian and reluctant figurehead of American unrest, promoted by Joan Baez. Some of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements, with Joan Baez and Dylan singing together at the March on Washington in 1963. However he later became disenchanted with the civil liberty protest scene, feeling that he had been used by them.
His album Bringing It All Back Home marked a move away from the folk scene and a move towards rock and roll and Dylan began to consciously distance himself from his early association with civil rights. He also started to become irritated when being interviewed, often given facetious or irreverent answers to questions. Bringing It All Back Home was a controversial album as it the first on which he played electric guitar. This was seen by some of his fans as a betrayal of this folk roots, with some saying that it obscured his meaningful and poetic lyrics.
The second half of the 1960s was marked by a string of well received releases, with his song "Like a Rolling Stone", released in July of 1965, later being named "The Greatest Song of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, placing #1 in a list of 500 titles. It also marked the formation of Dylan's backing band The Hawks (who would later call themselves simply The Band). Dylan embarked on a world tour of Australia and Europe in 1966, during which he seemed to be under a lot of strain and pressure by both his fans, the music press and his own promoters. Dylan himself admitted that he began taking drugs seriously whilst on this tour, and found it immensely hard work. On returning to New York he crashed his motorbike, sustaining serious injuries in the process, and went into a period of withdrawal while he recuperated. During the late 1960s, Dylan again changed stylistic tradition, moving away from the psychedelic culture of the time. It was then that he recorded All Along the Watchtower, perhaps more famously recorded by Jimi Hendrix.
The 1970s were a period during which Dylan was more sporadic in his output, releasing some poorly received LPs. He rarely appeared in person until 1974, when he began touring again with his backing band The Band. He also wrote one of his most extensively covered songs, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, as well as what is now recognised as one of his best albums Blood On The Tracks. Towards the end of the 1970s, Dylan discovered Christ, and released some albums of gospel music. He started to talk to the crowd about his faith during his performances, and wouldn't play any of his early work, which alienated some of his previous fans.
Dylan today still remains an influential and popular artist; despite a period of little note between 1980-2000, his 2006 album Modern Times reached the US chart at #1, as did his 2009 album Together Through Life, in the US, Britain, France and several other countries. His 2012 album Tempest was also critically acclaimed. Since 1988, Dylan has been on the so-called Never Ending Tour, during which his performances have provoked controversy, with some critics claiming that his lyrics have become incomprehensible, an experience which is not helped by his tendency to change his set-list and vocals almost every performance.
Bob Dylan's strong influence over the past few years is becoming even more prominent amongst a growing group of younger emerging artists such as George Ellias and Devendra Banhart. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of the time. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock and roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.
Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has also recently performed alongside other iconic artists, such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Although his contributions as a performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally held as his highest accomplishment.
Nobel Prize for Literature (2016) - On October 13, 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prestigious award has been given annually since 1901 and previous Nobel Laureates for Literature include Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Here is the speech written by Dylan, although unable to attend:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech.html?_r=0
Duncan & Brady
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up comes Brady in a 'lectric car
Got a mean look all 'round his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to see them die
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
In walked Brady with a shining star
And Brady says, "Duncan you are under arrest"
And Duncan shot a hole in Brady's breast
Said it would shoot half a mile
Duncan had a .44
That what laid Mr. Brady so low
Brady fell down on the barroom floor,
"Please Mr. Duncan don' shoot me no more"
Women all cryin', ain't it a shame,
Shot King Brady, goin' shoot him again
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
Walkin' in the room when the game was goin' on
Knockin' down windows, breakin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the grocery (barroom) floor
Women all heard that Brady was dead,
Goes back home and they dresses in red
Come a sniffin' and a sighin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet
'Cause he been on the job too long
"Duncan & Brady" is a traditional American folk song, but was extensively covered by numerous artists, including Bob Dylan. The lyrics of the song tell the tale of a shoot-out between two men, Duncan and Brady. The song starts by introducing the two characters, with Duncan working as a bartender in a bar, and Brady arriving in an electric car with a threatening look in his eyes. The story then takes a violent turn when Brady reveals he is an officer and attempts to arrest Duncan. Duncan, however, pulls out his gun and shoots Brady in the chest.
The song depicts the aftermath of the shoot-out, where women mourned and cried for both the victim and the perpetrator. The lyrics also suggest that Brady was on the wrong side of the law, as he was "knockin' down windows, breakin' down the door." Ultimately, the song reflects the acceptance of violence as a part of life in the Wild West, where people carried guns as a means of protection.
Line by Line Meaning
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, little star
The start of something ominous.
Up comes Brady in a 'lectric car
Brady arrives in the scene with an electric car.
Got a mean look all 'round his eye
Brady is angry and violent.
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to see them die
Brady is ready to shoot anyone for fun.
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
Duncan was working at the bar.
In walked Brady with a shining star
Brady enters with his gun.
And Brady says, "Duncan you are under arrest"
Brady tries to arrest Duncan.
And Duncan shot a hole in Brady's breast
Duncan shot Brady in the chest.
Brady, Brady carried a .45,
Brady had a .45 caliber gun.
Said it would shoot half a mile
Brady boasted about his gun's range.
Duncan had a .44
Duncan had a .44 caliber gun.
That what laid Mr. Brady so low
It was Duncan's gun that killed Brady.
Brady fell down on the barroom floor,
Brady collapsed on the floor.
"Please Mr. Duncan don' shoot me no more"
Brady pleads for his life.
Women all cryin', ain't it a shame,
The women in the bar are sad.
Shot King Brady, goin' shoot him again
Someone wants to shoot Brady's dead body.
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
Duncan accuses Brady of wrongdoing.
Walkin' in the room when the game was goin' on
Brady interrupted the activities in the room.
Knockin' down windows, breakin' down the door
Brady caused destruction in the place.
Now you lyin' dead on the grocery (barroom) floor
Duncan killed Brady and now he is dead on the barroom floor.
Women all heard that Brady was dead,
The news of Brady's death reached the women.
Goes back home and they dresses in red
The women dressed in red to mourn the death.
Come a sniffin' and a sighin' down the street,
The women moved sadly in the street.
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet
The women wore long, loose dresses and no shoes.
'Cause he been on the job too long
Some suggest that Brady deserved to die because he was in his job too long and became corrupt.
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Boba Mis
This is glorious. Was the first song I ever saw Bob play in person, the next year in Memphis. Great, great stuff! He was on a roll in Fall '00.
Larry Francona
... that was a great sound in the early 2000s, Bobby. So true.
Bernie Bass
Again, an outstanding performance of "Duncan & Brady" by Mr Bob 😀
Larry Francona
Saw many shows during this era. Loved the Duncan & Brady opener. The Larry Campbell Era - beauty.
DorothyParker
I loved when his shows opened with that one, and Roving Gambler, and that lovely fragrance of Nag Champa. You can even see the big sticks of it in the video! Great times! Thanks!
Peter Piper
Love that track........
peki buzz
20 years ago, can you believe it? 🥰
peki buzz
@Woolhall Just phantastic, happy for you, good memories! 🥰👍😎
Woolhall
Yes , I was one of the lucky ones to get a ticket with my brother and travel over to Ireland and film this, but got stopped halfway through the show, but happy to get the first few songs inc this gem.
Poobalan Pather
Never can get a proper live video of Bob Dylan. It's always someone's cell fone.