Bob Dylan released his album “Highway 61 Revisited” in 1965. Columbia Records issued the album on August 30, 1965, making it one of the defining records of Dylan’s transition from acoustic folk to electric folk rock.
The album was recorded in New York between June 16 and August 4, 1965. Producer Bob Johnston helped shape its energetic sound, with rock musicians including guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Al Kooper. The opening track, “Like a Rolling Stone,” became one of Dylan’s signature songs and a landmark recording of the decade.
“Highway 61” refers to the major American route running from New Orleans along the Mississippi River toward Minnesota, near Dylan’s birthplace in Duluth. The highway’s association with blues history influenced the album’s title and imagery.
A common mix-up is confusing the album with Dylan’s previous 1965 release, “Bringing It All Back Home,” or his follow-up, “Blonde on Blonde,” which arrived in 1966. “Highway 61 Revisited” sits between them in Dylan’s rapid mid-1960s creative transformation.