Don Cusic’s new book links Bob Dylan to country music and Nashville

Country music historian Don Cusic released Country Bob: Dylan and Country Music on October 7, 2026, arguing that country music shaped Bob Dylan’s songwriting, sound, and career over six decades. Cusic will discuss the book and Dylan’s Nashville ties at a free November 7 Q&A at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Why it matters: - The book is the first to focus on how country music influenced Bob Dylan’s songwriting, performance style and musical evolution across more than 60 years. - Dylan’s Nashville work remains a major part of his legacy, including three landmark albums recorded in the city: Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline. - The release adds new attention to Nashville’s role in shaping one of America’s most influential songwriters.

What happened: - Country music historian Dr. Don Cusic released Country Bob: Dylan and Country Music through University Press of Mississippi on October 7, 2026. - Cusic will appear at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 11 a.m. for a Q&A on the book, Dylan, country music and Dylan’s ties to Music City. - The event is hosted by Pamela Lewis and is free to attend.

The details: - Cusic traces Dylan’s country influence from childhood listening through his Greenwich Village folk years, Nashville recording sessions and later work. - Dylan has said Hank Williams was his first musical hero. - Dylan continues to learn new songs from the country catalog and work them into live sets and recordings. - Country Bob is Cusic’s 31st book and is part of University Press of Mississippi’s American Made Music Series. - The book is a paperback, 160 pages, and costs $25.00. - The ISBN is 978-1-4968-6440-6. - The book is available now on Amazon and through the publisher. - Cusic is a Belmont University professor, a leading country music historian and a consultant on Ken Burns’ PBS documentary Country Music. - His recent books include 2025’s Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar and HOWDY! The Minnie Pearl Story, co-written with Mary Ellen Pethel and winner of the 2025 Tennessee History Book Award. - Cusic joined the Western Music Hall of Fame in 2022. - Ken Burns praised the book, saying, “No one understands the intersection of country music and culture better than Don Cusic, and here he takes us on a fascinating journey linking this iteration of our roots music with the greatest of all American songwriters.”

Between the lines: - The book frames Dylan less as an outside observer of country music and more as an artist shaped by it at multiple stages of his career. - The Nashville focus underscores how deeply the city influenced Dylan’s sound, even as his public image often centers on folk and rock. - Cusic’s own background as a historian and Burns consultant gives the book added weight for readers interested in music history rather than celebrity biography.

What's next: - Cusic’s November 7 Q&A will give him a public platform to expand on Dylan’s Nashville years and the book’s central argument. - Copies of Country Bob will be available at the museum event. - The discussion could renew interest in Dylan’s country-era catalog and the broader Nashville chapters of his career.