He’s known for hits like “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “Like A Rolling Stone”, both of which are firm folk stylings. In fact, Bob Dylan is overwhelmingly known for his folk music, despite all the different career reinventions he’s gone through. He got into Christian gospel music for a bit and tinkered around with blues and pop. Some fans might not know that Bob Dylan had a country phase, too. And it happened pretty early on in his career.
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Revisiting ‘Nashville Skyline’: Bob Dylan’s Country Album
Bob Dylan went country before the release of Nashville Skyline in 1969. His 1967 record John Wesley Harding had plenty of country rock and roots rock elements. However, it wasn’t until Nashville Skyline that Dylan dove headfirst into his country era.
Produced by Columbia Records, this album took on a more rustic feel than Dylan’s previous releases. He completely immersed himself in the genre and got a bit simple with it. The song structures are basic (in a good way), and the lyrical themes are charming and sweet. A lot of people were shocked to hear Dylan’s “new” voice, too.
Bob Dylan has one of the most recognizable voices in music, and people seem to either love it or hate it. Either way, nobody got a taste of that voice on Nashville Skyline. Dylan quit smoking for a while before the album was released, and the resulting vocal tracks boasted a soft, sweeter, country-leaning sound from Dylan.
Given how angry people got when Dylan went electric, it’s surprising that fans weren’t bemoaning this switch to country. In fact, Nashville Skyline did pretty well commercially and reached no. 3 in the US and no. 1 in the UK. Critics loved it, too.
So, who can we thank for this temporary switch to country music? Apparently, Dylan first started to mull over the idea of a country album after a chat with none other than Johnny Cash. The two were going to work together, but nothing ever came of it. But the bug was buzzing in Dylan’s ear, and he decided to give country a try.
Given the tumultuous political climate of the time, Dylan wanted to create something less topical and more comforting. And Nashville Skyline certainly fits the bill.
Photo by Brian Moody/Shutterstock
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