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MICHAEL GRAY
Michael Gray is a critic, writer, and public speaker recognised as a world authority on the work of Bob Dylan. His Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan (1972) was the first critical study of Dylan's work, and the massive third edition, Song & Dance Man III — including a 112-page study of Dylan's use of the blues — followed in 1999 (UK) and 2000 (USA).
His Bob Dylan Encyclopedia (2006) won the International Association of Music Libraries' C.B. Oldman Prize for the year's outstanding work of reference and research, and his 2007 book Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography. His most recent book, Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967–2021 (2021 and 2025), continues his lifelong exploration of Dylan's work.
Talk: Which Bob Dylan Came To The Isle of Wight?
Bob Dylan was still in his twenties when he turned down Woodstock in 1969 and came instead to the 2nd Isle of Wight Festival that August — by no means the first surprise of a career that spanned traditional folk, rock'n'roll, country music, blues, and mainstream literature. Drawing on rare audio and footage, world-leading Dylan authority Michael Gray unpacks the many strands of Dylan's artistry and shines a spotlight on the Isle of Wight chapter of his story.
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