Happy 83rd birthday to American music icon Bob Dylan!
The Nobel Prize-winning singer, songwriter, musician and author has not only contributed significantly to the American songbook since he burst on to the scene as a recording artist in the early 1960s, but has also proven to be an enthusiastic student of the craft.
Dylan’s appreciation for the American musical tradition is evident in his admiration for the work of Stephen Foster. In his 2022 book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” Dylan pays homage to Foster’s 1849 composition, “Nelly Was a Lady,” among 65 other songs that he dissects in essay form. Despite being the oldest composition analyzed in the book, “Nelly Was a Lady” receives fresh attention as Dylan highlights blues musician Alvin Youngblood Hart’s 2004 rendition.
“Anyone who wants to be a songwriter should listen to as much folk music as they can, study the form and structure of stuff that has been around for 100 years. I go back to Stephen Foster.”
Dylan’s public admiration for Foster’s work goes beyond this chapter in the book. Foster’s treasured composition “Hard Times” was covered by Dylan on his 1992 album “Good as I Been to You,” a collection of solo-acoustic recordings of traditional folk songs and covers. In a 2004 interview with Robert Hilburn for The Los Angeles Times, Dylan had this to say in relation to Foster’s work and influence: “Anyone who wants to be a songwriter should listen to as much folk music as they can, study the form and structure of stuff that has been around for 100 years. I go back to Stephen Foster.”
As we at the Stephen Foster Story work to uplift the great compositions of our namesake, it is heartening to know that our enthusiasm is shared with another one of America’s most influential artists.