The two artists Bob Dylan thought were essential for keeping “the reality of rock ‘n’ roll” alive
Bob Dylan was on the receiving end of endless criticism in the mid-1960s when he famously ‘went electric’. At the time, the songwriter was accused of betraying his roots in the traditions of folk music, selling out his principles by following the trends of electrifying rock and roll music. In truth, however, Dylan had always been a devotee of rock and roll, with stars like Little Richard forming major influences on the songwriter’s early years as a musician. Dylan has never lost that deep appreciation for rock throughout his long and illustrious career.
After all, it was rock which gave Dylan his start in the music world, performing covers of tracks by Little Richard during his high school years. Truthfully, it would be difficult to find a young person in America during the late 1950s and early 1960s who could not identify with the infectiously rebellious atmosphere of this bold new sound. It was only when Dylan matured a little that his focus shifted to folk, once claiming that rock tracks “were great catch-phrases and driving pulse rhythms … but the songs weren’t serious or didn’t reflect life in a realistic way.”
Nevertheless, his electric period produced groundbreaking records like Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited, which are indisputably rock albums, albeit with influences of folk, country, and blues present, too. Dylan has explored countless different genres over the course of his discography, touching on everything from gospel to jazz, but his rock period is often considered among his most beloved. As such, it is no surprise that Dylan himself inspired multiple now-iconic rock songwriters to follow in his footsteps.
One of the most prominent examples of this inspiration comes in the form of The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. From his early days, the New Jersey songwriter took heavy inspiration from the socially conscious songwriting of Dylan, and the pair were often compared to each other during Springsteen’s early recordings. In fact, when he signed to Columbia in 1972, Springsteen was signed by John Hammond, who had signed Dylan a decade prior.
Another now-iconic musician who took early cues from Bob Dylan is John Mellencamp. Emerging in the 1970s with a unique brand of folk-inspired heartland rock, Dylan’s influence over the songwriter has always been plain to see. What’s more, Mellencamp has covered a multitude of Dylan tracks over the years, and the pair have even shared stages together.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Dylan himself has often shown his support for artists like Springsteen and Mellencamp, praising their respective approaches to crafting rock music which is both profound and with a widespread appeal. Back in 1985, the electrified folk hero was asked about his influence over Springsteen specifically, and he responded, “I’m glad to see Bruce making it so big. It’s good for the reality of rock and roll music, you know?”
Dylan also name-dropped Mellencamp, then operating under the name John Cougar. “John Cougar, too,” he shared, explaining, “I think those are good signs that people can make it and have an individual point of view and get that across on a larger scale.” It is difficult to disagree with the songwriter there. Both Springsteen and Mellencamp have managed to amass colossal audiences while always remaining true to their artistic principles and aims.
Lesser artists might have sold out their principles in search of colossal mainstream success, but Mellencamp and Springsteen managed to find that widespread success and acclaim with original and pioneering songwriting at the root of their appeal. In essence, that story is not dissimilar to Dylan’s rise to success, which was always built upon his quality songwriting rather than pandering to mainstream audiences.
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