All Three Alpha Band LP's in their entirety on two CD's

Springing in July of 1976 from Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, the Alpha Band appeared on the music scene with high expectations. The Alpha Band's sound, which drew from a grab-bag of American roots styles, as well as pop and rock, was centered around singer-songwriters J. Henry "T-Bone" Burnett and Steven Soles, and multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield. CLICK HERE to read more

John Lennon?

Later in the year Bob Dylan recorded Slow Train Coming, a gospel album born out of personal experience. Dylan told Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times that he'd recently accepted that "Jesus was real … I had this feeling, this vision and feeling. I truly had a born-again experience, if you want to call it that. It's an over-used term. But it's something that people can relate to." Hilburn asked him what "born again" meant. "Born once," he answered, "is born from the spirit below, which is when you're born. It's the spirit you're born with. Born again is born with the Spirit from above, which is a little bit different." CLICK HERE to read more

John Lennon's Born-Again Phase

His private feelings about the conversion were expressed in his songwriting. He was particularly incensed by the track "Gotta Serve Somebody" because it opposed his view that there was no single truth. CLICK HERE to read more

COVER STORY: The Real Bob Dylan: What if his Christian phase wasn't a phase?

Bob Dylan’s lyrics have often included biblical allusions and obvious spiritual angles, but when he decided to place his faith in Christ in 1979, many of his fans and the music industry alike were shocked. Scott M. Marshall writes about the progression of Dylan’s faith following the timeline of his life. With at look interviews, career choices and songwriting themes, Marshall examines the question, "What if his Christian phase wasn't a phase? CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan

Most people who know me know I am a huge Bob Dylan fan. Even though I am old enough to have been around during a big part of his career, I really became interested in the 90's while I lived in West Virginia. A guy in my church told me about Bob's Christian albums, and made me some tapes. I was hooked. CLICK HERE to read more

Regina McCrary: I Made A Vow (2007)

http://www.reginamccrary.com/

Regina also tears up Pressing On with the Chicago Mass Choir on Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan

These songs represent each and every descendant of humanity

Gotta Serve Somebody is a well-produced music documentary that showcases highly-skilled and creative artists in studio recording sessions. Individually, and inter-dependently, they attempt to reach personal pinnacles of expression in their interpretations of some well-chosen Dylan `gospel' songs. Opportunities to view musicians recording in a studio are rare; recording sessions produced with such attention to technical details of filming are even rarer and Gotta Serve Somebody may be in a class all its own. Some of the vocalists are well-known; others are probably known to followers of gospel music; their performances are strong and triumphant - even delicate and powerful, at the same time - as they react to the lyrics and the other musicians. Each and every musician, not only the vocalists, is emotionally invested in this music; their collaboration during recordings is a focus, in itself. The interviews with musicians are enlightening but the film is mostly about Bob Dylan's music. Dylan obviously chose gospel as the most easily identifiable and naturally adaptive style to express his words and sentiments in these songs. The music, lyrics excluded, is worthy of reflection to anyone who is interested in what constitutes `great artists' - their development through time and their exploration of nearly every possible genre as a means of personal expression. The lyrics reflect Dylan's personal longing for salvation and joy in the mystery of his own transformation, in contemporary Christian religious vernacular. For those who think that his gospel songs are best left to people with similar religious beliefs, adjust your attitudes. These songs represent each and every descendant of humanity who thinks, wonders, stumbles and falls, and seeks direction outside of what is only obvious and potentially disappointing. It isn't the target of salvation, but the act of seeking it that is, in itself, redemptive. CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan: Still Christian after all these years? (1997)

THE CHRISTIAN community has not always been kind to high-profile musicians who have espoused Christian beliefs. A prime example is Bob Dylan: although he did some superb Christian albums and a phenomenal gospel tour, and continues to perform faith-affirming songs in concert, I've encountered church musicians who have told me Dylan has "left the Lord." Because of this assumption, they refuse to play his songs, thus depriving congregations of some of the best Christian lyrics ever written. CLICK HERE to read more

HARVARD CRIMSON The Gospel According to Bob Slow Train Coming Columbia Records (1979)

LIKING THIS ALBUM depends on whether or not you like Jesus Christ.

Liking it also depends on how much you are willing to take from Bob Dylan. For years loyal fans have followed Dylan through mediocre efforts like Planet Waves and political gaffs like Hurricane "Indict Me Twice" Carter. But few love Dylan enough not to question his new and curious turn to Christianity. CLICK HERE to read more

Every Grain of Sand A Perfect Finished Plan by Paul Thomas

I don't usually respond to other contributors' articles but John Stokes' well researched and scholarly essay Dylan and The Sick Rose (Dignity 3) on Dylan's Every Grain Of Sand prompted me to write on this song. From the beginning I could accept the research that John Stokes had put in and appreciate the connections he was making but I could not accept his assertion that Every Grain of Sand is not a religious song (in the sense of being biblically inspired or rooted in an orthodox religious tradition). CLICK HERE to read more

It's alright, ma. I'm only preaching

The latest study of Bob Dylan's work could have Christian scholars singing in the aisles CLICK HERE to read more

"Please Pray For Bob Dylan" Asks His Former Pastor (1999)

ANAHEIM, CA (April 25, 1999) - Bob Dylan's former pastor, Kenn Gulliksen, has asked Christians around the world to pray for Bob Dylan. He also said that Dylan has never renounced his faith in Jesus Christ and that "God is not through with him yet." CLICK HERE to read more

You Gotta Serve Somebody

I like Bob Dylan. Sometimes, approximately 18% of the time, I actually understand what he is saying. In 1979, he said "You gotta serve somebody." He was right. The question is not whether we will serve. We all do, and we all will. The questions are 1) whom and/or what we will serve, and 2) whether we will serve as free people or as slaves. These are fundamental questions, and the Bible offers profound answers. CLICK HERE to read more

Gotta Serve Somebody Sermon preached by by Dave Skidmore, 26 Aug 2007

Some months back I heard that song -- I think it was background music on a Sopranos re-run -- and I had an immediate, indignant reaction. I thought, “What do you mean? I gotta serve somebody? I don’t have to serve nobody. I serve myself -- buddy.” Then I asked myself, “Why the pique?” CLICK HERE to read more

The Relationship Between 90&9 and.... Bob Dylan

Many posts the last few months have thrown around ideas as to what makes good music, how to musically get out of a stale box, how to play effectively, how to lyrically make something spiritually legitimate, etc. I would have never imagined finding a music project that, for me, congealed many of the above elements in the most unlikely of characters…Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to read more

Local Church Celebrates 'U2charist'

RALEIGH, N.C.--People gathered to take communion at the Church of the Good Shepherd. But Bishop Michael Curry says this is no ordinary Sunday service. CLICK HERE to read more

Valdemar: Saving Grace - TBR 11/28

To be released November 28 by Zebra Art Records in Sweden, Norway and Finland is Saving Grace: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan CLICK HERE to read more

America's Music: The Worship Rock Scene

NEW YORK TIMES VIDEO- The worship rock scene at High Desert Church in Victorville, Ca. CLICK HERE to watch

Suffering, Evil and the Existence of God

In Book 10 of Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Adam asks the question so many of his descendants have asked: why should the lives of billions be blighted because of a sin he, not they, committed? (“Ah, why should all mankind / For one man’s fault… be condemned?”) He answers himself immediately: “But from me what can proceed, / But all corrupt, both Mind and Will depraved?” Adam’s Original Sin is like an inherited virus. Although those who are born with it are technically innocent of the crime – they did not eat of the forbidden tree – its effects rage in their blood and disorder their actions. CLICK HERE to read more

Plugging in to Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord

VICTORVILLE, Calif. — Mike Day, singer and guitarist, gathered his rock band around him. Dressed in a faded black T-shirt, jeans and skateboard sneakers, he bent his shaved head. “God,” he said, “I hope these songs we sing will be much more than the music. CLICK HERE to read more

Dylan lyrics show religious themes

Steven Heine stops short of calling Bob Dylan a master of Zen Buddhism. CLICK HERE to read more

Bread, Wine and U2

Band's songs fuel Eucharist services. CLICK HERE to read more WHY NOT BOB DYLAN?

Jerry Wexler Talks Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming (1 of 3)

Legendary music producer talks about meeting Bob Dylan and how he came to produce Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming. CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube Video

Jerry Wexler Talks Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming (2 of 3)

Legendary music producer Jerry Wexler talks about being in the studio and the recording of Slow Train Coming with Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube Video

Jerry Wexler Talks Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming (3 of 3)

Legendary producer Jerry Wexler talks about producing Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming album and what it means to him. CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube Video

Simple Gifts, Complex Spirituality

The Jewish head of the Boston Camerata collaborates with an acclaimed Finnish choreographer to shine a light on Shaker worship. CLICK HERE to read more

Author Examines Link Between Dylan and Zen

In addition to being a folk music visionary, Bob Dylan may also be a modern-day Zen master, said Steven Heine in a lecture given as part of a new series presented by the USU religious studies program Friday. CLICK HERE to read more

GMC Airing of the documentary Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan.

Screens: TV the week of October 21
Rock and Soul Night (8 p.m. Sunday, Gospel Music Channel) -- Five hours showcasing the churchy roots of rock and soul music, including concerts by such artists as Calvin Cooke, Mike Farris and the Blind Boys of Alabama. To top it off there's an airing of the documentary Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan.

My Backstroke

Times change, and we are called as the church to reach the sheep of this fold, (generation) while ministering to all. The first step may be found with my old friend Bob Dylan: CLICK HERE to read more

Sam Cooke says, “a change is gonna come”

“A change is gonna come.” By itself, a great statement, and one that has gotten me through rough times along with faith, but in 1963 Sam Cooke gave these words so much meaning, not just for the civil rights movement but for anyone who would ever find themselves wanting to move forward for whatever reasons or needs. The song and it’s creation is tightly woven with that of two Bob Dylan songs. CLICK HERE to read more

"...You Gotta Serve Somebody...but How?"

The point, of course, is that all of us seek to find meaning, seek to find a purpose for our lives by giving ourselves to some cause or some power or some institution that�s bigger than ourselves, through which we find some kind of purpose and some kind of way to give and to make a contribution. CLICK HERE to read more

Devotional Dylan?

Dylan hints, alludes, and perplexes us with his spirituality and lyricism. CLICK HERE to read more

Right Wing Bob: Q & A with Robert Spencer

SPENCER: When I went to college in 1979, I had only heard the Bob songs that made it to the radio now and again — Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Like A Rolling Stone, etc. But I was aware of Dylan, as he was still a major pop culture figure — everyone in my dorm had a copy of Street Legal, and many had the Budokan live album also. But when Slow Train Coming came out, all his fans were knocked back. CLICK HERE to read more

The Rise of Mailerism

Norman Mailer’s God, not surprisingly, is a great artist, who created mankind and all the plants and other animals, and could reincarnate them according to his whim. But he was not all-powerful. Because there was the Devil—and the Devil had technology. And lately, the Devil seems to be winning… CLICK HERE to read more

Dylan Devotional: The sun keeps shinin’

It was a beautiful drive into the office this morning. I was rockin’ to Dylan and holding a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. I was listening to “Thunder on the Mountain” CLICK HERE to read more

An essay, "Is Dylan Still?" by Bill Parr (from 2000)

Some thoughts on questions about Dylan, regarding whether "He is still a Christian": Is he still a Christian?

Lots of folks would argue against. Some would agree that he is. My sense is that, for many, their answer reveals more about their preconceptions and biases than about Dylan.

My answer, based on the lyrics of his songs over the last roughly 20 years (since the end of the 1979 - 1981 period), as well as his comments during concerts, and his song choice, is: CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan Reaffirms His Place in the Tribe

Sorry, Christians: It’s looking less and less likely that Bob Dylan is going to... CLICK HERE to read more

FAVORITE SONGS: Bob Dylan, Gotta Serve Somebody (1979)

The “Poet of This Generation” caused quite a stir in the late 70s when he announced he had become a born-again Christian. CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind

‘Goodness me!’ is the gold bar in the currency of superlatives that my students use and it aptly describes Bob Dylan's first album of new songs... CLICK HERE to read more

Michelle Shocked 'went for the singing, and stayed for the song'

“Probably the only real template we have for people like myself in terms of their career – getting saved – is the path that Bob Dylan laid out. And if he was Judas for going electric…” Dylan’s audience grew significantly when he challenged the status quo and plugged in. It took a declaration of Christian faith to finally loose his exalted standing. “The same people that embraced him for his creativity and his willingness to evolve [dropped him].” CLICK HERE to read more