3 Stunning Bob Dylan Songs That Were Tributes to Other Musicians

The Bard, like many singer-songwriters, had a handful of major inspirations who influenced his music in big ways. He also had connections with many musicians and contemporaries throughout his career. Naturally, it only makes sense that Bob Dylan would pen a few tributes to his fellow musicians and songwriters. Let’s take a look at three such songs.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Song To Woody” from ‘Bob Dylan’ (1962)

This gem is probably the most well-known song Bob Dylan ever wrote among his tributes to other musicians. Dylan released this song way back in 1962 as a tribute to the folk icon Woody Guthrie. In fact, the song was one of only two original songs on his self-titled album from that very year. 

Diehard fans of the Bard know that when a teenage Dylan left Minnesota to travel to New York, he did so with the intention of meeting his idol, Guthrie. After searching the city, he eventually found him at the home of Bob and Sidsel Gleason in New Jersey, where he sang a few songs for the folk icon, much to Guthrie’s joy. “Song To Woody” was written shortly after.

“Roll On John” from ‘Tempest’ (2012)

Not to be confused with the traditional folk song of the same name that Dylan performed earlier in his career, this track off of the 2012 album Tempest was written as a tribute to the late John Lennon. The two musicians first met in the mid-1960s and crossed paths on numerous occasions before the former Beatle was tragically shot and killed outside of a hotel in 1980. “Roll On John” was inspired by a minibus tour Dylan embarked on in 2009, which explored Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool. According to lore, nobody on the tour even recognized Dylan.

“Goodbye Jimmy Reed” from ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ (2020)

This one’s a bit of an underrated song among tributes to other artists that Bob Dylan recorded. Of course, judging by the title alone, this song was written about blues icon Jimmy Reed. It’s a high-energy number that stands out among the quiet, slow-tempo tunes found on Rough And Rowdy Days. Dylan is a longtime fan of Reed and even covered “Baby What Do You Want Me To Do” during the Infidels sessions back in the early 1980s.

Photo by NBCU Photo Bank