Synopses & Reviews
Since his emergence in the folk revival of the early 1960s, with songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind," Dylan has been the outstanding singer-songwriter of modern times, an artist whose music has captured the zeitgeist and the imagination of millions. Dylan remains a powerful creative force, beloved by those who grew up with his music and admired by younger generations as a matchless musical innovator.
Yet despite nearly forty years of fame, and the attendant scrutiny of the media, Dylan has remained a remarkably enigmatic figure whose life is clouded with secrecy: from his fabled 1966 motorcycle accident to how many times he has been married and how many children he has fathered. In Down the Highway, acclaimed biographer Howard Sounes sweeps away myth and rumor, offering major new insights into every aspect of Dylan's life including his music and the recording sessions behind it, his labyrinthine love life, his family life, and his business affairs.
Review
"[T]he reader is treated to the most detailed account yet of Dylan's 1966 motorcycle accident and subsequent withdrawal from the public eye. Sounes also peels away layers of mystery surrounding Dylan's complex romantic life and surprisingly conventional approach to fatherhood....Sounes succeeds in portraying Dylan's human side." Library Journal
Review
"Sounes somehow has uncovered some new information in that oft-scanned showbiz legend, mostly about Dylan's childhood and his jealously guarded family life. Some of it actually provides further insight into his songs, particularly those about his wife, Sara. Sounes also blows the lid off Dylan's heretofore unknown 1986 marriage to one of his backup singers. Such well-researched gossip will be fresh to all but the most committed Dylanologists." Booklist