The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia

Description

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Michael Gray, MICHAEL GRAY is a distinguished critic, writer & broadcaster. He graduated in History & English Literature at York University, England, in the 1960s, where he studied under the controversial, brilliant critic Professor F. R. Leavis, and where as a student journalist he interviewed, among others, the eminent British historian A. J. P. Taylor and the legendary American guitarist Jimi Hendrix. His pioneering study of Bob Dylan’s work, Song & Dance Man, first published in the 1970s in Britain, America and Japan, was the first full-length critical study of this crucial 20th Century cultural figure. It is now recognised as a classic in its field. A selection of pieces on Dylan, All Across The Telegraph: A Bob Dylan Handbook, published in 1987, was co-edited by Gray and included work by several distinguished academics in the fields of English & American Literature and Music. In 1996, Michael Gray co-authored The Elvis Atlas: A Journey Through Elvis Presley’s America, published in hardback in New York by Henry Holt. The massive Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan was published by Continuum in March 2000. A special reprint appeared in the US in April 2001, when Gray delivered talks at a number of US universities; a fourth reprint was published in New York and London in 2002 and a fifth in 2004. Michael Gray is recognised as a world authority on the work of Bob Dylan and is an expert on rock’n’roll history and the blues, with a special interest in pre-war blues. Please visit his blog at http://bobdylanencyclopedia.blogspot.com.

Reviews

' Hank Williams rubs shoulders with William Carlos Williams in this monumental work, which seeks to pin down the many influences on Dylan's work, and to tease out the literary, autobiographical and musical references within it. Michael Gray has devoted half a lifetime to Dylan scholarship.'

 

~ London Review of Books, 3 August 2006

London Review of Books,

'Nobody could possibly fault Gray's book for lack of diligence...We Dyland admirers will happily put in on our shelves next to the RIck's book and pull it down on noisy gin-soaked evenings with friends.'

~Kevin Jackson Sunday Times, 23 July 2006

Kevin Jackson,

“Few will be disappointed by The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. It’s likely to become the biggest selling Dylan book of all. The Encyclopedia majors on its author’s unparalleled expertise, his critical judgment and a ready intelligence and authorial finesse rare among writers of Dylan books. The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia’s strengths include authoritative essays positioning Dylan’s work in the context of other artistic traditions—notable the Bible, English Literature, the blues, rock ‘n’ roll, nursery rhymes and film. Gray’s analysis of the influence on Dylan’s work of the Book of Ecclesiastes is the most evocative piece of writing on the musician you’re likely to encounter.”  

CHOICE, July 2006,

 “Seriously now, do get two new books on the artist: Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews, a collection of 40 edgy conversations edited by Jonathan Cott and Michael Gray’s The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, which has all you need to know, and more, about the little big man.” –Time Magazine, May 2006

,

“This 700-plus-page volume covers musicians, songwriters, events, dates and personalities, with each entry covered on its own and as it relates to Dylan’s life and/or music. The results are as much a fascinating portrait of an era as a thorough, detailed study of a master singer/songwriter. Gray’s book also spotlights Dylan compositions and associations, often providing the real story behind the song of the collaboration rather than the conventional or accepted version. It only reaffirms his commitment to the creative process and knowledge of many different idioms, plus his ability to get inspiration from non-musical sources as well. It contains so many insights and refutes so many myths about the rock ‘n’ roll era in general that it’s invaluable as both a reference guide and personality study.” –The City Paper, June 2006 

,

“This massive effort covers many of his songs, albums, and film work, as well as just about every personality associated with the folk singer/rock star. But this is no dry reference tome. Gray freely quotes from a variety of sources, in addition to relying on his own considerable knowledge. Overall, this is an amazingly well-researched and surprisingly readable work.” –Library Journal Starred Review, June 2006

,

“This is no mere catalog of facts, but a work of oceanic immersion. It has wit, opinion, style and asks to be read, not just consulted. Gray details every artist Dylan has ever interpreted or collaborated with along with all of his critics and chroniclers, logger and bloggers, trash collectors and microbe hunters.” –The Village Voice, June 2006

,

“Author Michael Gray outdistances them all with this voluminous collection of all things Dylan. Gray’s knowledge of his subject is seemingly boundless, yet he manages to maintain a critical eye and keep Dylan’s work in perspective. While Gray is certainly a fan, it’s this impartiality that fuels the book and gives it weight. Insightful and entertaining, Gray’s tome will broaden appreciation of the artist, his influenced and his legacy.” –Publisher’s Weekly, June 2006

,

'This heavyweight tome is loaded with facts about Mr. Funny Voice and the world/mythology that has grown up around him.” –The Fader Magazine, July/August 2006

,

"It’s a great labor of love. It stands comparison with David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Cinema as a sustained piece of entertaining opinionated heartfelt and argumentative writing masquerading as an objective gazetteer. Gray has chosen to base most of his entries around people rather than songs, dates, and tours; the book is thronged with life."

London Evening Standard, July 11, 2006,

"Gray presents another indispensable installment for Dylan fans: An encyclopedia of Dylan’s life detailing the lives behind the songs and the faces behind the ghosts—an encyclopedia stitched together by the invisible thread of ghostly faces who came to cross the poet’s path during the last 50 years. Encyclopedia is a bold undertaking that pierces its target at the center-heart of the bull’s eye. The book traces Dylan’s life in a music event-by event, person-by-person, major song by major song. And it is a thrilling ride, indeed, Gray providing traditional encyclopedic sketches of Dylan’s great body of work, each morsel of information presented in an alphabetized form. At this point, the call to Dylan fans is quite clear- if you buy one book this year on the rock-and-roll icon, this one better be it." –The Electric Review, June 30, 2006

,

"Michael Gray's book embodies a lifetime of critical engagement with Dylan's art. It's probably the most comprehensive work on the subject, and also one of the most entertaining."

Mike Marqusee,

"The scale of research is colossal. Facts have been assiduously double checked, sources scrupulously detailed. ... Gray has made excellent use of the efforts of Dylan fans who have, over the years, unearthed all kinds of data, much of it previously available only in fanzines and websites."

Mike Marqusee,

"...Bertolt Brecht, John Donne, Lord Buckley, Kenneth Patchen, ... Gray ... shows a balanced appreciation of their connection with Dylan."

Mike Marqusee,

"He editorialises freely and intelligently."

Mike Marqusee,

"The CD-rom accompanying the book is a genuine bonus. It includes the entire text, is searchable and enables readers to click from entry to entry, charting their own paths through this densely populated territory."

Mike Marqusee,

"The encyclopedia succeeds admirably in demonstrating, in Gray's words, that 'to burrow into Dylan's art at length and in detail is not to shut the door on the wider world in pursuit of a narrow obsession but rather to open up that wider world, to be sent down a thousand boulevards..."

Mike Marqusee,

'An almost one-stop shop for anything Dylan related, it's mix of humour and the most specific, unparalleled knowledge, as is Gray's talent.'

Record Collector, 1 October 2006

Record Collector ,

'This impressive book could be a life's work in itself...a consitently well-written and endlessly fascinating book. it ;s wonderful for dipping into. And above all, it takes you back to the music that still says so much.'

Coventry Evening Telegraph, Charles Barker, 'Delve into the deep and wonderful world of Dylan', 16/09/2006

,

"Thoroughly researched and highly idiosyncratic, The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia is a fascinating reference - with essential information and cool arcana in entries like 'Aaronson, Kenny' (Dylan's bass player, 1988-89), 'nursery rhymes, Dylan's use of, pre-1990' and 'Zimmerman, David' (Dylan's kid brother). Michael Gray eschews the dispassionate voice typical of reference books for a highly opinionated take on his muse's work. The entry for the 1983 album Infidels offers, 'Another ragbag collection of insipid material'; the 'Victoria's Secret' item merely reads, 'See co-option of real music by advertising, the.' Still, where else can Dylan fans find detailed information on the two unnamed women ('Dylan, Sara' and 'Dennis, Carolyn') Dylan refers to as 'my wife' in Chronicles? Also included is a CD-ROM with a searchable PDF of the entire book."

Andy Greene for Rolling Stone,

“Rock 'n' roll historian and Bob Dylan authority Gray’s…opinions and editorializing are prevalent throughout. This makes for unique entries, such as "Interviews and the myth of" their rarity (in which he claims Dylan actually averaged one interview per month over 40 years) and Dylan being "bored" by his acoustic material 1965-66, the myth of". In fact, the entire book is written in a refreshingly relaxed manner, as befits a music critic and fan. The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia…is a valuable addition to academic and large public library collections, primarily because of Gray's knowledge and reputation as a Dylan expert.”

Booklist, October 15, 2006,

  “…this isn’t a reference book alone; it provides a fun, readable text which packs in over eight hundred entries, over twenty pages of illustration, and  everything there is to know about Dylan, including a searchable cd-rom to boot… his most definitive work and represents the culminating achievement of a world authority on the topic: if there’s only one Dylan reference your public library holding can afford it should be this definitive guide.”- The Midwest Book Reviewv

,

  “Michael Gray is a renowned authority on Dylan, and from his 700-plus-page tome, it’s clear that he’s forgotten more about Dylan’s music, his influences, cultural impact and songs than the man himself ever knew. The diverse selections of topics covered ranges from frying an egg on stage to Baudelaire, and includes esoterica such as Dylan’s relationship to the blues, as well as musical insight and scathing criticism- mostly of musicians other than Bob.”- The Guitarist, November 2006v

,

  “This is an eccentric book, perhaps more so than its subject, and it is Gray’s unfettered subjectivity that makes it so engaging. The book thrives on unexpected connections and little-known facts… Gray’s passionate subjectivity mirrors his subject’s wholly idiosyncratic journey through life, as well as the complexities and contradictions that make Dylan who he is… Gray’s approach is characterized by a mixture of undiluted opinion and genuine fairness… There is an endearingly spontaneous feel about the book, unusual for something so rich and weighty. And this freewheeling quality is in tune with the essence of one-tale-and-no-overdubs Dylan, an artist too spontaneous to be cramped by perfectionism.”- Times Literary Supplement, November 10, 2006

,

'a musical map of the 20th century with which you can wander for hours, learning about obscure folk heroes and tarrying in the long-forgotten scenes.' ~ Melissa Katsoulis, Sunday Telegraph, November 2006

,

“Erudite, idiosyncratic, witty and caustic- like its subject- Michael Gray’s The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia provides more than 850 entries on sidemen, songs, friends, family and more, reaching from “Aaronson, Kenny” (Dylan’s 1988-89 bassist) to “Zimmerman Family."

Goldmine Magazine, December 8, 2006,

“This Bob Dylan book is for extreme fans, critics, scholars and practitioners of cultural studies. It’s a 730 page encyclopedia of all things Zimmerman.”- Jewish Herald Voice, August 24, 2006

,

"Weighty and phenomenally comprehensive...This meticulously researched book with its many insights, shrewd opinions and rewarding digressions, is clearly a labour of love and will avidly devoured by Dylan fans everywhere... Indispensable!"

New Classics, 2007,

“Designed for Bobby Zimmerman fanaties, this mammoth tome provides a stupendous amount of information on the folk-rock bard’s long, enigmatic career. If Dylan crossed path’s with a musician, was inspired by a poet, or listened to an old record the once favored pre-war blues by the likes of Blind Willie Johnson, Jim Jackson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Sleepy John Estes, they are no doubt discussed at length here. There is also a searchable PDF on a CD-ROM duplicating the text so you can access the work on your computer. Gray even included an entry on himself, and his thoughtful essays on Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Everly Brothers transcend boilerplate bios, offering genuine insight into their music and impact."

Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal,

Gold winner of the 2006 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award for Music.

,

''this mammoth tome provides a stupendous amount of information on the folk-rock bard's long, enigmatic career''

 

 ARSC Journal, Spring 2007

,

"Gray disguises his book of Dylan criticism as a reference book, and often a funny and pointed one. ...If you pull it out to look something up, you'll stay with it to read another entry or five." -San Diego Union-Tribune

,

“Memphis Slim, Ricky Nelson, John Donne, Kenneth Patchen, Charlie Sexton, Mavis Staples, Jack White, Paul Griffin, Ray Charles, Sam Lay, and hundreds of other musicians, song titles, and albums make up the bulk of this book of knowledge. You might not be able to carry it on the back of your bicycle without tipping over as you chase down Dylan’s tour bus, but it’ll certainly come in handy as you ponder Bob’s connections to Franz Kafka.” - T.J. McGrath, Dirty Linen, October/November 2008

T.J. McGrath,

"a massively comprehensive work... cross referencing is thorough and helpful, end notes to entries detail source material... More unusual and extremely helpful, is the CD accompanying the Encyclopedia which provides the book duplicated as a PDF... An exceptional facility"

Whitby Music Port

,

"Michael Gray's Encyclopedia is a mind-blowingly detailed source of information about Dylan and everything Dylan-related"
David Sinclair, Classic Rock Magazine, September 2008

,

"Author Michael Gray is recognised as a world authority on the work of Bob Dylan and is an expert on rock'n'roll history and the blues"

M Magazine, september 2008

,