What year did Bob Dylan release his first album?

Bob Dylan released his first album in 1962. Titled Bob Dylan, the debut was issued by Columbia Records on March 19, 1962, after recording sessions in New York in November 1961.

The album was produced by legendary talent scout John Hammond, who had signed Dylan to Columbia despite uncertainty about whether the young folk singer could sell records. Most of its songs are traditional folk and blues performances, but it includes two early Dylan originals: “Talkin’ New York” and “Song to Woody,” a tribute to Woody Guthrie.

The record initially attracted little commercial attention, and Dylan later became more closely associated with his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, released in 1963. That later success helped listeners rediscover the rough, energetic style of his debut. A common mix-up is confusing the album’s 1962 release with its 1961 recording sessions.