What makes Bob Dylan not only a great musician, but a defining voice of modern America? In this TigerSide Chat, acclaimed historian Sean Wilentz — who grew up just blocks from Dylan’s earliest performances in Greenwich Village — takes us on a journey through Dylan’s life, music and enduring influence. Drawing on unparalleled access to studio tapes, recording notes and rare archival materials, Wilentz explores Dylan’s meteoric rise in the early 1960s and his evolution into one of the most innovative songwriters and performers of the twentieth century. Whether you are a lifelong Dylan fan or simply curious about the crossroads of history, music and American identity, this conversation promises fresh insight into an artist — and an era — that changed everything. 

Speaker: 

Sean Wilentz is an American historian and the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University, where he has taught since 1979. His primary research interests include nineteenth and twentieth century U.S. social and political history. He has written numerous award-winning books and articles, including, most notably, “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln,” which was awarded the Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is also the author of “Bob Dylan in America,” a landmark book reflecting his vast knowledge of the Village folk scene and New York artistic history.

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