While working as a Peace Corps photographer in Washington, D.C., Rowland Scherman found himself immersed in the early 1960s folk scene alongside acts like Peter, Paul and Mary. Hearing the buzz about the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, he soon crossed paths with a young Bob Dylan, first spotting him casually on a tennis court, then watching him perform at a small folk workshop. As Dylan sang, Joan Baez joined in, her harmonies drawing an ever-growing crowd. Scherman moved closer and began taking photos.
On Nov. 28, 1965, four months after Dylan’s infamous "going electric" set at Newport, Scherman documented an equally rousing performance at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C. Camera in hand, he slipped backstage mid-show to capture a strikingly blue-lit image of the upstart singer-songwriter that he knew would be memorable. Two years later, Columbia Records selected this iconic portrait for the cover of the 1967 collection “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” which won a Grammy award for best album cover photography. From intimate workshop performances to electrified stages, Scherman’s images frame Dylan before and after his rapid ascent in the mid-1960s.
From intimate workshop performances to electrified stages, Scherman’s images frame Dylan before and after his rapid ascent in the mid-1960s. Dive deep into Dylan’s emergence as a cool and at times combative rock star this summer inside our exhibit “Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan 1966,” opening July 18. “Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan 1966” is generously supported by Presenting Sponsors Bob and Debbie Russell.
Bob Dylan Center
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The official page of the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Bob Dylan Center® is dedicated to the study and appreciation of renowned American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his cultural significance. The center serves to educate, motivate and inspire visitors to engage their own capacity as creators. While the center is anchored by a permanent exhibit on the life and work of Bob Dylan, it also offers additional exhibits, public programs, performances,
05/30/2026
On this day in 1988, Bob Dylan released his 25th studio album, “Down in the Groove.” The record features an eclectic lineup of collaborators, including Eric Clapton, Sly & Robbie, Mark Knopfler, Randy Jackson, members of the Grateful Dead and more. It also marked the start of Dylan’s songwriting partnership with Robert Hunter, co-writing “Ugliest Girl in the World” and “Silvio” — the latter featuring backing vocals from Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Brent Mydland. “Silvio” became a live staple and was later included on “Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3.”
The album was compiled from the highlights of five recording sessions held between March and June 1987, with each session featuring a new band that Dylan had assembled. The first, on March 5, included musicians from John Trudell’s “aka Graffiti Man,” led by guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. This reunion may have been sparked by a February 19 show at the Palomino Club in Los Angeles, where Dylan, George Harrison, and John Fogerty saw Taj Mahal and the Graffiti Band perform with Trudell.
Picture: “Down in the Groove” album cover, on display in the Columbia Records Gallery at the Bob Dylan Center.
05/28/2026
Following last year’s foray into favorite film soundtracks, “Ten Songs (Plus One or Two)” — the Bob Dylan Center’s bimonthly members-only series of listening sessions hosted by center director Steven Jenkins — returns to the movies on June 4 with a playlist celebrating the pleasures of double features, the allure of masterful directors and larger-than-life stars, and the sorts of character-rich narratives and widescreen soundscapes that make us as listeners feel as if we’re living in a movie of our own. Cineastes such as Air, Portishead and U2 (with a scene-stealing Pavarotti) create themes for imaginary films, Big Audio Dynamite marvels at the cult classics of Nicolas Roeg, and Camera Obscura falls in love with Catherine Deneuve (who doesn’t?). Daniel Day-Lewis, Marilyn and Bogie make memorable cameos. Save me the aisle seat. Whisperers will be shushed.
This event will be offered in-person and virtually via Zoom.
To learn more or become a member, visit bobdylancenter.com/event/ten-songs-june-2026
05/27/2026
On this day in 1963, Bob Dylan released his second studio album, “The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.” The album featured some of his most enduring songs, including “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” and marked his emergence as a major voice in American folk music. With its blend of social commentary and lyrical depth, Freewheelin’ helped define a pivotal moment in 1960s culture.
Pictured: “Bob Dylan, En Roue Libre...” (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan) LP, Columbia Records, France, released May 1965 – two years after the US release of the album. Currently on display as part of the exhibition “Going Electric: Bob Dylan ’65.”
“Going Electric: Bob Dylan ’65” is generously supported by Presenting Sponsors Bob and Debbie Russell. Learn more about the exhibit: bobdylancenter.com/visit/exhibits/going-electric
Our friends at Guthrie Green are presenting a free concert with Silkroad Ensemble featuring Rhiannon Giddens on Friday, June 19.
Giddens took part in The New Basement Tapes, a 2014 project for which she and Bob Dylan Center guest curator Elvis Costello, along with their contemporaries Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James and Marcus Mumford, set unpublished Dylan lyrics to new musical arrangements.
05/23/2026
Planned Giving extends the legacy of Bob Dylan Center and its mission to inspire and celebrate fearless creativity by exploring the music and artistry of the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter as a catalyst for personal expression and cultural change. To learn more about how to include Bob Dylan Center in your plans, visit bobdylancenter.com/support/planned-giving
05/21/2026
Following last year’s foray into favorite film soundtracks, “Ten Songs (Plus One or Two)” — the Bob Dylan Center’s bimonthly members-only series of listening sessions hosted by center director Steven Jenkins — returns to the movies next month with a playlist celebrating the pleasures of double features, the allure of masterful directors and larger-than-life stars, and the sorts of character-rich narratives and widescreen soundscapes that make us as listeners feel as if we’re living in a movie of our own. Cineastes such as Air, Portishead and U2 (with a scene-stealing Pavarotti) create themes for imaginary films, Big Audio Dynamite marvels at the cult classics of Nicolas Roeg, and Camera Obscura falls in love with Catherine Deneuve (who doesn’t?). Daniel Day-Lewis, Marilyn and Bogie make memorable cameos. Save me the aisle seat. Whisperers will be shushed.
This event will be offered in-person and virtually via Zoom.
To learn more or become a member, visit bobdylancenter.com/event/ten-songs-june-2026
05/16/2026
This Thursday, join Bob Dylan Center Director Steven Jenkins for an online discussion with music and media journalist Barry Mazor about his definitive biography of one of the most influential acts in pop music history, the Everly Brothers.
Zoom in for this virtual chat as Mazor discusses “Blood Harmony” and fields questions from Jenkins and attendees.
Learn more and get tickets: bobdylancenter.com/event/barry-mazor
This event is the third installment of the 2026 Bob Dylan Center Book Club, made possible thanks to the generous support of Presenting Supporters, Joe Donnelly and Becky Thorson.
In March, in celebration of his 75th birthday, masterful guitarist and composer Bill Frisell prepared a special concert presented by the Bob Dylan Center in the acoustically pristine Patti Johnson Wilson Auditorium at the Philbrook Museum of Art. The setting proved to be appropriately artful and pensive as Frisell — accompanied by Luke Bergman on bass and Tim Angulo on drums — performed highly imaginative, beautiful and beguiling interpretations of some of his favorite Dylan songs, including “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “Positively 4th Street” and “Masters of War” always finding just the right notes and tones to tease out new moods and meanings in every song. From the first number, a wonderfully deconstructed yet inclusive rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” to the final delicate encore of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Frisell, Bergman and Angulo merged impeccable musicianship with a generosity of spirit that held the audience in hushed reverence, culminating in a standing ovation and an impromptu, hearty serenading of “Happy Birthday” to send Frisell off on a wave of best wishes.
Bob Dylan Center Senior Director Steven Jenkins moderated a pre-concert onstage conversation with Frisell for VIP ticket holders where Frisell spoke about his earliest exposure to Dylan’s music and messages.
The Bob Dylan Center gratefully acknowledges the support of Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner; The Miner Anderson Family Foundation in making this program possible. Additional support generously provided by Edith and Glenn Wilson.
05/13/2026
As a tie-in to the current “Going Electric: Bob Dylan ’65” exhibition, on view through July 5, the Bob Dylan Center is pleased to present an evening with Scott Freiman, host of the popular PBS series “Deconstructing the Beatles.” For this special multimedia event at Circle Cinema, Freiman will deconstruct folk music, exploring the genre’s roots and evolutions in both the U.S. and U.K. — from ancient British ballads and Appalachian work songs to the thriving folk revival scenes of the 1950s and ‘60s — as these traditions led to the chiming guitars and literary lyrics of folk rock.
Tickets on sale now: bobdylancenter.com/event/deconstructing-folk-music
Deconstructing The Music
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116 E Reconciliation Way
Tulsa, OK
74103
Opening Hours
| Wednesday | 10am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 6pm |
| Friday | 10am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 6pm |