Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Bob Dylan thinks there is one musician who will last forever: “He rises above all”
Bob Dylan paid tribute to Johnny Cash as a musician whose influence and legacy would endure, describing him as “the North Star” and saying he “rises high above all”. The praise reflects the mutual respect between two artists who helped bring each other’s songs to wider audiences.
Dylan admired Cash from hearing his records as a young man, while Cash recorded Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” in 1964 and defended him in an open letter after criticism from a folk magazine. The pair later recorded “Girl from the North Country” together in 1969. After Cash died in 2003, Dylan wrote that Cash was “the greatest of the greats”.
In short
- Dylan called Johnny Cash “the North Star”.
- Cash recorded Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” in 1964.
- They recorded “Girl from the North Country” together in 1969.
Explained simply
Johnny Cash was an American singer and songwriter known for a deep voice and songs that drew on country, folk and gospel music. Bob Dylan, a major American songwriter, came to admire Cash’s records early in his own career.
Their musical connection went both ways: Cash recorded Dylan’s song “It Ain’t Me Babe”, and they later performed “Girl from the North Country” together. Their respect for each other helped bring their music to different audiences, and Cash’s influence has continued since his death in 2003.