Listening to Bob Dylan

Larry Starr is emeritus professor of music history at the University of Washington. He is the author of George Gershwin and coauthor of American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3, sixth edition.

"In this fresh and expansive book, Starr invites us to reach beyond the Nobel-winning lyrics and finally hear the brilliance of Dylan's work as a performer, arranger, composer, and vocal stylist. Each chapter is a lively, accessible masterclass that will make you return again to even the most familiar songs with a sense of wonder and surprise."--Sean Latham, editor of The World of Bob Dylan "Larry Starr's Listening to Bob Dylan is a refreshing addition to the ever-growing literature about Bob Dylan. Unlike most books on the subject, which tend toward extensive biography, exhaustive lyrical analysis, or trivia-based one-upmanship, Starr takes a relatively novel tack: he approaches Dylan as a musician. Drawing upon his decades of popular music study and pedagogy, Starr deftly navigates Dylan's six-decade career in a manner that is both informative and accessible, but most of all it is a pure joy to read."--Mark A. Davidson, Archives Director, The Bob Dylan Archive