Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is a folk and rock musician from Minnesota best known for his songwriting abilities and unique voice. As a young man he loved poetry and Woody Guthrie; in hopes of starting his music career he moved to New York in 1961. He was quickly recruited and put out an album the next year. Dylan is often associated with the counterculture movement, progenitor of protest songs like “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”. In the mid-sixties he turned towards a more electric sound, much to the chagrin of the folk music community. He continued putting out albums with varying success and increasingly sporadically. Dylan was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982 and played for Farm Aid in 1985. He followed his collaboration with Tom Petty at Farm Aid with a joint tour from 1986-1987.
Bob Dylan’s role in Farm Aid began at the 1985 Live Aid concert. During his set he asked "Wouldn’t it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?". This was a much-criticized statement in the context of Live Aid, especially by the event’s organizers, but Willie Nelson took inspiration from it. Less than three months later, Farm Aid came to life. Accordingly, Bob Dylan was invited to perform. He played six songs backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Willie Nelson even joined them onstage for "Maggie's Farm". Dylan joined Farm Aid once again in 1986 via satellite.