{"id":746802,"date":"2026-07-06T16:49:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/746802\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T16:49:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:49:32","slug":"bob-dylan-guitarists-every-one-whos-toured-in-dylans-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/746802\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Dylan Guitarists: Every One Who&#8217;s Toured in Dylan&#8217;s Band"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From Robbie Robertson and Tom Petty to Bob Britt and Julian Lage<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe past few weeks have been an unusually dramatic time for Bob Dylan\u2019s Never Ending Tour. It began in early June when fans began reporting that Dylan appeared perturbed with Bob Britt, who joined the group in 2019, and the guitarist stopped appearing onstage for the first three songs of the night. But on June 17, when the tour came to the Santa Barbara Bowl, guitarist Doug Lancio, who has been with Dylan since 2021, was gone without any explanation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn his place was jazz virtuoso Julian Lage. But after just seven shows where guitar duties were split between Britt and Lage, Britt quit the band with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/bob-dylan-guitarist-bob-britt-quits-band-1235585893\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a sudden \u201cSayonara Bobby\u201d Facebook post<\/a> that threw everything into chaos, especially since Lage has a busy schedule that makes him unable to commit to the tour full-time. Chicago-based jazz and blues guitarist Joel Paterson parachuted in to solve the problem, and he\u2019s been playing all of the guitar parts by himself for the past few shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWe have no idea how this is going to play out in the coming weeks, but we can say this is hardly the first time Dylan has swapped out a guitarist from his live band. By our own count, he\u2019s worked with 35 of them over the past 61 years. Here\u2019s a look at all. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t(This is only a list of guitarists who have toured with Dylan or, in the case of Mike Bloomfield, played an extremely memorable and historic show. We aren\u2019t counting guest guitarists like Carlos Santana, Neil Young, Ronnie Wood, Nils Lofgren, Jack White, Mark Knopfler, or Billy Strings. We also aren\u2019t counting studio guitarists like Bruce Langhorne and Chris Weber, despite the important role they played in the creation of Dylan\u2019s albums.)<\/p>\n<p>\tMike Bloomfield (1965)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK - SUMMER 1965: Bob Dylan (holding a cigarette) and guitarist Mike Bloomfield (seated) take a break during the recording of the album 'Highway 61 Revisited' surrounded by an assortment of microphones, amplifiers and guitars in Columbia's Studio A in the summer of 1965 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-74269257.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tPrior to the events of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan concerts were solo acoustic affairs. He sometimes played alongside other singers with guitars, like Joan Baez or Pete Seeger, but they were guests. He didn\u2019t have a band until the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when he famously \u201cwent electric\u201d with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and guitarist Mike Bloomfield, who was a key part of the Highway 61 Revisited sessions that same summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cThe guy that I always miss, and I think he\u2019d still be around if he stayed with me, actually, was Mike Bloomfield,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/bob-dylans-late-era-old-style-american-individualism-90298\/3\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dylan told Rolling Stone in 2009.<\/a> \u201cHe could play like Willie Brown or Charlie Patton. He could play like Robert Johnson way back then in the Sixties. The only other guy who could do that in those days was Brian Jones, who played in the Rolling Stones.\u201d But Bloomfield didn\u2019t go on the road with Dylan after Newport, and they wouldn\u2019t share a stage again until Nov. 15, 1980, when Bloomfield came out during a show at the Fox Warfield in San Francisco, just three months before he died.<\/p>\n<p>\tRobbie Robertson (1965-74)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 24: An image of  Bob Dylan (L) and Robbie Robertson (R) playing electric guitars during Dylan's 2nd set at the Academy of Music on February 24, 1966. (Photo by Charlie Steiner - Highway 67\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1173458207.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Charlie Steiner\/Highway 67\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMike Bloomfield was a very busy man in 1965, since the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was red-hot. He simply couldn\u2019t commit to a Bob Dylan tour. That\u2019s why Dylan turned to Robbie Robertson of the Canadian group the Hawks. He allowed him to bring Hawks drummer Levon Helm for the first concert, at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York. After a couple of shows, he let Robertson invite the rest of the Hawks to join the group. This was the group (minus Helm for a period) that traveled the world with him throughout the rest of 1965 and into 1966, facing boos from folk purists most everywhere they went. The Band (as they eventually called themselves) remained Dylan\u2019s group for the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival in England, and the 1974 Before the Flood reunion tour. Dylan played with Robertson again at the Last Waltz in 1976. And despite all of the lore between them and the countless Dylan shows in the decades that followed, they never again shared a stage.<\/p>\n<p>\tMick Ronson (1975-76)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"British Rock musician Mick Ronson (1946 - 1993), of the Ian Hunter Band, plays electric guitar as he performs during the Dr Pepper Music Festival, onstage at Central Park's Wollman Rink, New York, New York, July 11, 1980. (Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2211648580.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tNobody who saw David Bowie on the 1972-73 Ziggy Stardust tour thought to themselves, \u201cThat wild guy with the bleach-blond hair playing the sick \u2018Moonage Daydream\u2019 solo would work nicely on Bob Dylan\u2019s next tour. I bet Bob hires him.\u201d But that\u2019s exactly what happened in 1975 for the Rolling Thunder Revue. It was a huge change for Ronson, since Bowie played the exact same show every night, note for note, and Dylan made every Rolling Thunder show pretty unique. But Ronson rose to the challenge. And, good Lord, what an adventurous life on the road that man lived between 1972 and 1976.<\/p>\n<p>\tBobby Neuwirth (1975-76)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 2, 1975:  His rolling thunder revue making its way toward New York, Bob Dylan (left) last night took centre stage before 16,000 people at Gardens, accompanied by a host of other folk music personalities including Mick Ronson (centre) and Bobby Neuwirth. Joni Mitchell was there, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Ronee Blakley and Roger McQuinn and Gordon Lightfoot. Joan Baez joined in duet with Dylan, her dignity filling hall, according to Star writer Peter Goddard.        (Frank Lennon\/Toronto Star via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-456993322.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Frank Lennon\/Toronto Star\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBobby Neuwirth became a friend and close confidant of Bob Dylan in 1961, long before the fame hit, and he was by his side through the tumultuous, amphetamine-fueled 1960s period. He gets a lot of screen time in Don\u2019t Look Back as a member of the entourage. Neuwirth began making his own music in the 1970s, remained close to Dylan, and was instrumental in putting the Rolling Thunder Revue on the road. Neuwirth played an opening set most nights, and then joined Dylan on guitar during his portion of the evening.<\/p>\n<p>\tT Bone Burnett (1975-76)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"(L-R) T-Bone Burnett, Bob Dylan, Mick Ronson, and an unidentified stagehand on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour at a free concert at the Gatesville State School for Boys in Gatesville Texas on May !5,1976.   (Photo by Nicolas Russell\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1543431958_61d89d.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Nicolas Russell\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tLong before he oversaw the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack or produced albums for Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, Elton John, Counting Crows, and Ringo Starr, Joseph Henry \u201cT Bone\u201d Burnett III was a guitarist-for-hire who landed a gig on Bob Dylan\u2019s Rolling Thunder Revue. He was a part of the extremely large band, and he rotated between piano and guitar. Several decades later, Burnett took several old Dylan lyrics from the Basement Tapes period and turned them into the 2014 New Basement Tapes LP with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes.<\/p>\n<p>\tDavid Mansfield (1975-78)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"1978: Bob Dylan plays a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar as he performs onstage in 1978. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mansfield.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/david-mansfield-interview-bob-dylan-rolling-thunder-revue-1118794\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Mansfield<\/a> was barely 19 years old when he was hired to play steel guitar, mandolin, violin, and dobro on the Rolling Thunder Revue. He was originally slated to merely back Bobby Neuwirth during his opening set. But Neuwirth\u2019s band essentially became the house band during rehearsals. Bob Dylan was so impressed by his work that he became one of the few Rolling Thunder musicians invited back for the 1978 world tour. This was a very different band with a very different sound, but Mansfield found his place and stuck around for all four legs. (Rolling Thunder bassist Rob Stoner lasted just a few weeks in 1978.)<\/p>\n<p>\tSteven Soles (1975-78)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American singer, songwriter and musician Bob Dylan performs live on stage with his band, including bass guitarist Jerry Scheff and guitarist Steven Soles, during the 'Picnic' festival at Blackbushe Aerodrome in Hampshire near Camberley, Surrey, England on 15th May 1978. (Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Soles.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: David Redfern\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe Rolling Thunder Revue house band was essentially a mini orchestra of guitars. One of the players was Steven Soles. Like David Mansfield, he was recruited into the caravan tour by Bobby Neuwirth. And like Mansfield, he made it through the entire tour. For a brief period after Rolling Thunder, he formed the Alpha Band with T Bone Burnett and Mansfield. They cut three albums before dissolving in 1979.<\/p>\n<p>\tBilly Cross (1978)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"American singer, songwriter and musician Bob Dylan performs live on stage with guitarist Billy Cross during the 'Picnic' festival at Blackbushe Aerodrome in Hampshire near Camberley, Surrey, England on 15th May 1978. (Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-84893385.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: David Redfern\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe chaos of the Rolling Thunder Revue gave way to a much more organized tour of traditional venues in 1978. David Mansfield and Steven Soles were part of the team, and they were joined by Billy Cross, a one-time member of Sha Na Na. Cross stuck around long enough to record on Street Legal and finish out the 1978 tour, before vanishing forever from Dylan World.<\/p>\n<p>\tFred Tackett (1979-81)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 7:  Fred Tackett and Tim Drummond perform with Bob Dylan at the Warfield Theater on November 7, 1979 in San Francisco, California.  (Photo by Ed Perlstein\/Redferns\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1348753769.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ed Perlstein\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMark Knopfler played lead guitar on Bob Dylan\u2019s 1979 born-again LP, Slow Train Coming, but Dire Straits were too busy for him to even consider going on the tour. That task fell to session ace Fred Tackett. He did a sensational job with the gospel material on the first leg, and then was given a chance to delve into some of the older classics in 1980 and 1981. Tackett joined Little Feat in 1988, essentially filling the void that Lowell George left behind, and he remains there to this day.<\/p>\n<p>\tSteve Ripley (1981; Sept. 4-9, 1990)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"US poet and folk singer Bob Dylan (R), accompanied by US guitarist Steve Ripley, performs on the stage of the Johanneshov Ice Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 8, 1981. In the late 1970s, Bob Dylan produced a triptych of religious works with &quot;Slow train coming&quot; (1979), &quot;Saved&quot; (1980) and &quot;Shot of love&quot; (1981). (Photo by Johan HULTENHEIM \/ TT NEWS AGENCY \/ AFP) \/ Sweden OUT (Photo by JOHAN HULTENHEIM\/TT NEWS AGENCY\/AFP via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2203960807.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Johan Hultenheim\/AFP\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFred Tackett was the sole guitarist throughout the gospel tours of 1979 and 1980, and the Musical Retrospective Tour of November-December 1980. But country-rock guitarist Steve Ripley was brought in for the 1981 Shot of Love sessions, and he joined Bob Dylan\u2019s touring band later that year, where he shared guitar duties with Tackett. You can hear him on the June 27, 1981, Earls Court show in London that Dylan released on the 2017 Trouble No More Bootleg Series. After parting ways with Dylan after the Shot of Love tour, Ripley formed the successful country band the Tractors. During the chaos of the 1990 tour, Dylan brought him back into the band for five shows.<\/p>\n<p>\tMick Taylor (1984)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bob Dylan performs on stage with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor at Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 4th June 1984. (Photo by Rob Verhorst\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Taylor.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit:  Rob Verhorst\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tOn March 22, 1984, Dylan played <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=944JTLxkUuM&amp;list=RD944JTLxkUuM&amp;start_radio=1\">a mind-blowing set on Late Night With David Letterman <\/a>with members of the L.A. punk band Plugz. It is, by far, the greatest television moment of his career. In a perfect world, he would hit the road with Plugz that year, and guitarist J.J. Holiday would be on this list. But in this world, Plugz and Dylan never again crossed paths. Instead, Dylan hired former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor for his 1984 European co-headlining tour with Carlos Santana. Taylor is an incredible guitarist who lifted the Stones to new heights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But this wasn\u2019t the ideal gig for him. Still, the best moments from this tour are pretty special, and the oft-maligned concert LP Real Live doesn\u2019t quite do the tour justice.<\/p>\n<p>\tMike Campbell (1986-87)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Music Legend Bob Dylan on stage with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mike Campbell, Heartbreakers' guitarist, is in the background.   (Photo by LGI Stock\/Corbis\/VCG via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mike-Campbell.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: LGI Stock\/Corbis\/VCG\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBob Dylan first played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the first Farm Aid, in 1985. It went so well that a world tour was booked for the following year. It was an ideal pairing since the Heartbreakers can play basically any song ever recorded, and they all grew up on Dylan\u2019s music. The quality of the shows varied according to Dylan\u2019s mood on any given night, but they were largely pretty great. And Campbell was called back in 2009 by Dylan to play guitar on Together Through Life. He also backed him during a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6fBFT3B-N-4&amp;list=RD6fBFT3B-N-4&amp;start_radio=1\" target=\"_blank\">surprise set at Farm Aid in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\tTom Petty (1986-87)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"MANSFIELD MA - JULY 1986: Tom Petty and Bob Dylan perform at Great Woods Pavilion in Mansfield MA July 8 1968 (Ron Pownall\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-857497406.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ron Pownall\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tTom Petty and the Heartbreakers played a handful of their own songs at these shows, but the set was largely Dylan songs. It allowed Tom Petty to stand back a few feet and simply become a guitar player in his own band. He loved every second of it. A year after the tour ended, the Traveling Wilburys formed. But they never actually toured \u2014 a tremendous lost opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\tJerry Garcia (1987)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Gerry Garcia and Bob Dylan at the Giants Stadium in New York City during the Dylan and the Dead Tour July 1987. (Photo by robbie jack\/Corbis via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-539577484.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Robbie Jack\/Corbis\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFor six memorable nights in July 1987, between legs of his world tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan played six co-headlining stadium shows with the Grateful Dead where they served as his backing group. They pushed him to break out songs like \u201cJoey,\u201d \u201cJohn Brown,\u201d and \u201cThe Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest\u201d that he hadn\u2019t touched in years. Many of the worst moments were cobbled together for the dismal 1989 live album Dylan &amp; The Dead. But the bootlegs tell a slightly different story. Still, this tour doesn\u2019t represent either Dylan or the Dead in peak form. But it\u2019s very cool to hear Dylan and Jerry Garcia trade licks. There was tremendous respect between the two icons, but they rarely played together.<\/p>\n<p>\tBob Weir (1987)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"GIANTS STADIUM, NJ - JULY 12: Bob Dylan playing guitar, backed by the Grateful Dead July 12, 1987. L-R Bob Weir, Bob Dylan.  (Photo by Charlie Steiner - Highway 67\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1179485331.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Charlie Steiner\/Highway 67\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tOf course, Bob Weir was also part of the Dylan and the Dead tour of July 1987. He got a second chance to play with Dylan in 2003, when Dylan and the Dead (as the surviving members billed themselves at this point) went on a summer tour together in 2003. Dylan sat in with them several nights and played songs like \u201cFriend of the Devil,\u201d \u201cLike a Rolling Stone,\u201d and \u201cGotta Serve Somebody.\u201d By this point, Dylan rarely played with other acts that toured with him. But he made an exception for the Dead. And he liked Bob Weir so much that he <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wJMV0-RMAKw&amp;list=RDwJMV0-RMAKw&amp;start_radio=1\" target=\"_blank\">played his 2016 solo deep cut \u201cOnly a River\u201d<\/a> several times in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\tG.E. Smith (1988-90)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 06: GE Smith and  Bob Dylan perform on stage at Palau d'Esports on June 6, 1989 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jordi Vidal\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-99856680.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jordi Vidal\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDylan\u2019s career as a live artist forever changed when he started a tour in 1988 that\u2019s basically still going today. Dylan hates the term \u201cNever Ending Tour,\u201d but that\u2019s what most everyone calls it at this point. The first of many guitarists in the group was Saturday Night Live house-band leader G.E. Smith. He was actually still on SNL during his time with Dylan between June 1988 and October 1990: He just insisted that Dylan not book shows on Saturday nights when an episode was scheduled. Two years after leaving the band, Smith served as the musical director of Dylan\u2019s 30th-anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<p>\tSteve Bruton (Aug. 19-29, 1990; Oct. 11-12, 1990)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CHEYENNE, WY \u2013 OCTOBER 29: Stephen Bruton, (b. 11-7-48) performs with Kris Kristofferson\u2019s band at the Cheyenne Civic Center on October 29, 1986 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Bruton worked with Kristofferson and was his friend for more than 40 years. He died in 2009. (Photo by Mark Junge\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1299352240.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Mark Junge\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe only time the guitar situation in Dylan\u2019s live band was as chaotic as the summer of 2026 took place in the summer of 1990 when G.E. Smith gave his notice, and Dylan invited a series of possible replacements to join the band for a handful of shows each. They were basically public auditions. First up was Steve Bruton, who came into Dylan\u2019s orbit during the 1973 Mexico City sessions for the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack. He\u2019s on \u201cBilly 4.\u201d And in August 1990, he played 10 shows as a member of Dylan\u2019s band. During one of them, Dylan dedicated \u201cMoon River\u201d to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash the day before.<\/p>\n<p>\tMiles Joseph (Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 1990)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bob Dylan (Photo by KMazur\/WireImage)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dylan-90.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Kevin Muzar\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIt may seem like Bruton\u2019s run didn\u2019t go very well since Dylan gave him the boot after a mere 10 shows. But the next guy up, Miles Joseph, only made it through three shows before he was disappeared. Bob is not an easy person to please. (Joseph also played with Aretha Franklin, Joe Sample, Edgar Winter, and Bruce Willis during his long career. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legacy.com\/us\/obituaries\/latimes\/name\/miles-joseph-obituary?id=18896044\">He died in 2012<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>\tC\u00e9sar D\u00edaz (Sept. 11, 1990-March 2, 1991)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bob Dylan performs on stage at Guitar Legends, Seville, Spain, 1991. (Photo by Michael Putland\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cesar-Diaz.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Putland\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tAfter giving three guitarists the chance to prove themselves with results he didn\u2019t find satisfying, Dylan decided to let his guitar tech, C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz, try out for the position. It worked out so well that he let D\u00edaz remain in the live band through the spring of 1991, playing about 50 shows total, even though additional guitarists were added during this time.<\/p>\n<p>\tJohn Staehely (Oct. 16-Nov. 18, 1990)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Americain Singer and Songwriter Bob Dylan (Photo by Jerome Prebois\/Kipa\/Sygma via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Dylan-1990.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit:  Jerome Prebois\/Kipa\/Sygma\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe crazy churn of 1990 somewhat calmed down on Oct. 16, when Dylan brought guitarist John Staehely onto the stage alongside C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz and G.E. Smith, who remained in the group throughout all of the ill-fated attempts to find his replacement that fall. Things went so well with Staehely that Smith was finally able to leave the group three days later. And for the rest of 1990, Staehely and D\u00edaz handled the guitar parts on their own. Staehely\u2019s last show took place in Detroit on Nov. 18, and features the only live performance of the Blood on the Tracks deep cut \u201cBox of Rain\u201d in Dylan\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>\tJohn Jackson (1992-97)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"1992: Bob Dylan plays a Gibson J200 acoustic guitar as he performs on stage in 1992. (Photo by Larry Hulst\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Bob-Dylan-John-Jackson.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Larry Hulst\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tStability finally came to the guitarist position in Dylan\u2019s band in early 1991, when Nashville pro John \u201cJ.J.\u201d Jackson was hired. These were initially lean years for the Never Ending Tour, as many casual fans had totally written Dylan off. But after some very rocky shows throughout 1991 and 1992, things started to dramatically improve. Yet, just as Dylan was on the verge of a major comeback in 1997 with Time Out of Mind, he let Jackson go. The guitarist was brought back in 2006, when he played in the house band for Twyla Tharp\u2019s Broadway musical The Times They Are a-Changin\u2019. The show was a critical disaster that closed within weeks, but Dylan came to a rehearsal and had a chance to catch up with Jackson nearly a decade after they parted ways.<\/p>\n<p>\tBucky Baxter (1992-99)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 05:  Bucky Baxter performs with his son, Rayland Baxter, at 3rd &amp; Lindsley on June 5, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Photo by Erika Goldring\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Bucky-Baxter.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit:  Erika Goldring\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tJohn Jackson was the lone guitarist onstage throughout much of 1991. But in early 1992, he was paired with Bucky Baxter, who played pedal steel guitar and electric slide guitar. Bucky quickly became a fan favorite by adding unique textures to every song. During the stellar shows around the Time Out of Mind era, he was a critical component of the instrumental blend.<\/p>\n<p>\tLarry Campbell (1997-04)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bob Dylan and Larry Campbell perform on stage in Rome, Italy, 1996. (Photo by Luciano Viti\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1307960529.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Luciano Viti\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMost hardcore Dylan fans agree that the Never Ending Tour peaked roughly between 1997 and 2002. Larry Campbell played an enormous role in that thanks to his skills on the guitar and fiddle, and his vocal harmonies. His musical chemistry with Bucky Baxter and later Charlie Sexton produced majestic shows that remain cherished on bootlegs, most notably their <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V7x9aucA1Ws&amp;list=RDV7x9aucA1Ws&amp;start_radio=1\">European run in the fall of 2000.<\/a> (Some day, this period needs to be chronicled with a Bootleg Series box set.) Campbell remains an extremely active musician, and has played with Phil Lesh, Elvis Costello, Levon Helm, and many other icons.<\/p>\n<p>\tCharlie Sexton (1999-02; 2009-12; 2013-19)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Musicians Charlie Sexton (L) and Bob Dylan perform at The Dell Diamond on August 4, 2009 in Round Rock, Texas. (Photo by Gary Miller\/FilmMagic)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-116826861.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Miller\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tArc Angels guitarist Charlie Sexton replaced Bucky Baxter in 1999 when Dylan hit the road for a co-headlining tour with Paul Simon. It was apparent from the very start that he was a perfect fit for the band, and had effortless chemistry with Larry Campbell. There\u2019s almost no doubt that the absolute pinnacle of the Never Ending Tour was Sexton\u2019s first tenure. Just <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RcedmF0SHVQ&amp;list=RDRcedmF0SHVQ&amp;start_radio=1\">listen<\/a> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aIq2xpNgWXE&amp;list=RDaIq2xpNgWXE&amp;start_radio=1\">to any show<\/a> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wIsTFNbMNoo&amp;list=RDwIsTFNbMNoo&amp;start_radio=1\">from this time<\/a> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N1VB5_XHiNc&amp;list=RDN1VB5_XHiNc&amp;start_radio=1\">on YouTube for evidence.<\/a> Much changed by the time he came back in 2009, and he was no longer able to fully demonstrate the range of his talents. He briefly left for a second time in 2012, before coming back the following year when things didn\u2019t go so well with Duke Robillard.<\/p>\n<p>\tBilly Burnette (Feb. 6-26, 2003)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 5:  Billy Burnette of Fleetwood Mac performs with Dennis Quaid and the Sharks during &quot;A Starry, Starry Night&quot; Party &amp; Auction Featuring Dennis Quaid and The Sharks, on June 5, 2004 in Austin, Texas.  (Photo by Jana Birchum\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-50931084.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jana Birchum\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tCharlie Sexton was a very difficult act to follow. Rockabilly guitarist Billy Burnette had experience with this sort of task when he stepped into Fleetwood Mac when Lindsey Buckingham quit in 1987: He managed to somehow last nine years in Fleetwood Mac. Bob Dylan let him go from the band after just 11 Australian shows in February 2003. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/billy-burnette-fleetwood-mac-lindsey-christine-stevie-1234639670\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Burnette told Rolling Stone in 2022<\/a> that he had a publishing deal with Barbara Orbison, Roy Orbison\u2019s widow, and she convinced Dylan to let him go since he wasn\u2019t writing enough on the road. \u201cI was pissed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a great gig. I couldn\u2019t understand it at the time. Bob liked me. I got along really well with the band. It was just that Barbara \u2026 bless her. She\u2019s passed away since then. But she was real tight with Bob.\u201d (We suspect there were more factors in Burnett\u2019s dismissal than Barbara Orbison wanting him back home and generating money for her publishing company, but we\u2019ll likely never know.)<\/p>\n<p>\tFreddy Koella (2003-04)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Bob Dylan (Photo by Lester Cohen\/WireImage for NBC Universal Photo Department)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-76022595.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Lester Cohen\/WireImage \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWhen Dylan returned from Australia following his brief stint with Billy Burnette, he hired Freddy Koella to play in the group alongside Larry Campbell. Once again, Sexton was a very difficult act to follow. But Koella had a unique take on the material, the fans grew to really enjoy his playing, and he remained in the band for a solid year. In 2012, Dylan brought him back onstage for a couple of shows at the Santa Barbara Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>\tTommy Morrongiello (2003-04)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01:  NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL  Photo of Bob DYLAN, performing live onstage  (Photo by Leon Morris\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Bob-Dylan-Tommy-M.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Leon Morris\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn the summer of 2003, when Dylan was touring with the Dead, he gave guitar tech Tommy Morrongiello the C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz treatment by allowing him to play on a few songs a night. \u201cAt the Columbus show, it was like Bob calling his dog over,\u201d a fan wrote on the Bob Dylan Usenet group in 2003. \u201cBob would snap his fingers, the guy (don\u2019t know his name) would run over, Bob would point to one of two guitars, and the guy would pick the guitar up and start playing. Just prior to the end of the song, he would set the guitar down and run off to do something. Before both shows he was wearing shorts but would change into long pants before playing guitar. Tony [Garnier] seemed amused at most of this.\u201d Dylan continued to periodically let Morrongiello play through the following summer. Morrongiello played with Ian Hunter and Mountain in the 1970s, and joined up with the Springsteen tour in 2007 as a guitar tech.<\/p>\n<p>\tStu Kimball (2004-18)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 24:  Bob Dylan and his band perform at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California on October 24, 2014. (Photo by Jim Steinfeldt\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-520904712.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jim Steinfeldt\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMost music fans have never heard of Stu Kimball. The guitarist isn\u2019t a flashy player with a big personality. And he\u2019s never done much of anything to promote himself or seek out press. But he holds the record as the longest-serving guitarist in Dylan\u2019s history by playing an astounding 1,323 shows with him between 2004 and 2018. Nobody else comes close. He also recorded with Dylan on Modern Times, Tempest, Shadows in the Night, and Fallen Angels.<\/p>\n<p>\tDenny Freeman (2005-09)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 13:  Denny Freeman performs in concert for the Austin Music Awards at the Austin Music Hall during the South By Southwest Music Festival on March 13, 2013 in Austin, Texas.  (Photo by Gary Miller\/FilmMagic)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Denny-Freeman.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Miller\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDenny Freeman had a long history before he joined Dylan\u2019s touring band in 2005, playing with everyone from Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan in their prefame days to Taj Mahal and Percy Sledge. He became part of Dylan\u2019s band shortly before the recording of Modern Times and stuck around through 2009. He died from abdominal cancer in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\tDuke Robillard (April 5-June 30, 2013)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 27:  Duke Robillard performs during the Chuck Berry Tribute Concert at the State Theatre on October 27, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio.  (Photo by Patrick R. Murphy\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Duke-Robillard.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Patrick R. Murphy\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tSixteen years after he played guitar on \u201cMillion Miles,\u201d \u201cTryin\u2019 to Get to Heaven,\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Wait\u201d during the Time Out of Mind sessions, journeyman guitarist Duke Robillard was hired to join Dylan\u2019s touring band. It lasted just a couple of months. \u201c[Dylan] started acting really strange,\u201d <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/entertainment\/2025\/01\/25\/duke-robillard-on-working-with-bob-dylan-forming-roomful-of-blues-and-forging-his-own-path\/#utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Robillard said in 2025.<\/a> \u201cI just decided I was too old to deal with it. He\u2019s got a reputation for being different and difficult when he wants to be. I just said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m going home.\u2019 It\u2019s a long story, very complex. I did something he didn\u2019t like, and he shouldn\u2019t have got upset about. I just can\u2019t explain it. You\u2019re gonna have to wait for my book.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tColin Linden (July 15-Aug. 4, 2013)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 04:  Recording Artist Colin Linden performs during Tennesseans For Obama Benefit at The Cannery Ballroom on October 4, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Photo by Rick Diamond\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-153442177.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Rick Diamond\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDylan called Charlie Sexton back into action after the Duke Robillard situation imploded, but he had prior commitments with the Chicks spinoff band Court Yard Hounds. It led to a very weird situation where he flew into the tour whenever possible throughout July and August 2013, and Colin Linden served as his understudy whenever he couldn\u2019t make it. This all took place when Dylan was playing large amphitheaters with My Morning Jacket and Wilco. To his credit, Linden handled the supporting role with great ease.<\/p>\n<p>\tBob Britt (2019-26)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Bob Dylan performs on stage in Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Baker\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1162177229.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Matthew Baker\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBob Britt first played with Dylan during the Time Out of Mind sessions in early 1997, but none of those recordings were heard until the Time Out of Mind Bootleg Series box set came out in 2022. He got a second chance to work with Dylan in October 2019 when Dylan hired Matt Chamberlain on drums, and added Britt into the lineup to play alongside Charlie Sexton. He stuck around until June 2026, when he quit with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/bob-dylan-guitarist-bob-britt-quits-band-1235585893\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cSayonara Bobby\u201d post on Facebook. <\/a>\u201cI was not fired,\u201d he added, \u201cbut left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tDoug Lancio (2021-26)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 23: Speacial guest Bob Dylan performs in concert during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center on September 23, 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana. (Photo by Gary Miller\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Doug-Lancio-Bob-Dylan.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Miller\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe global pandemic forced Dylan to take his first year off the road since beginning the Never Ending Tour in 1988. When he came back, fans learned that Charlie Sexton\u2019s third stint in the band had ended. In his place was Doug Lancio, a veteran Americana musician who recorded with Patty Griffin for years, and who also worked with John Hiatt and Tom Jones. Lancio stuck around until June 2026, when he suddenly vanished following a show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. Unlike Britt, he didn\u2019t take to Facebook to explain what happened, meaning we don\u2019t know if this was Bobby saying \u201cSayonara Doug\u201d or Doug saying \u201cSayonara Bobby.\u201d Either way, he\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n<p>\tJulian Lage (June 17-26, 2026)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Julian Lage performs onstage during &quot;A New York Evening with Julian Lage&quot; presented by the Grammy Museum on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2284042621.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMost Bob Dylan fans at the Santa Barbara Bowl on June 17 were like, \u201cWho the hell is the new guy playing guitar in Doug\u2019s spot?\u201d But a small percentage likely said something approximating, \u201cOh, my God! That\u2019s Julian fuckin\u2019 Lage!\u201d The folks in the latter category were guitar aficionados, and they knew Lage is a freakishly talented jazz guitarist, able to play virtually anything. But he\u2019s in such high demand that his time in Dylan\u2019s band was limited to just seven concerts. We\u2019re hearing he might come back at some point, but it\u2019s unclear when.<\/p>\n<p>\tJoel Paterson (June 29, 2026-Present)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CHICAGO, UNITED STATES - JUNE 8: Joel Paterson performs on stage at The Chicago Blues Festival on June 8 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. (Photo by James Fraher\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1160779647.jpg\" data-lazy- data-lazy-\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: James Fraher\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tAt some point after the June 26, 2026, show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bob Britt quit the band. This was a pretty big problem since Lage had an event booked in New York City on June 29, the same night as the next show in Austin. Fortunately, Dylan had already made plans for Chicago-based blues guitarist Joel Paterson to join. And for the first time since the John Jackson days of 1991, he was the sole guitarist on the stage. It was a crazy trial by fire, and he passed. Going forward, we have no idea if Paterson will remain the sole guitarist, if Lage will return and join him, or if a new member will come and fill the Britt role. There are no press releases or social media posts about such matters in Dylan World. You just have to wait until the show begins, and see who walks onto the stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Robbie Robertson and Tom Petty to Bob Britt and Julian Lage The past few weeks have been&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[50998,88],"class_list":["post-746802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-bob-dylan","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}