The son of folk rock standard-bearer Bob Dylan, Jakob was raised primarily by his mother following his parents' divorce. To his credit, Dylan has exercised complete discretion regarding his heritage. Despite a close personal relationship, he and his father don’t record or perform together — this played out most obviously at the 1997 Grammys, when they allowed each other the spotlight when picking up awards (Bob for Time Out Of Mind, Jakob for his band The Wallflowers' Bringing Down The Horse). Still, it's impossible not to recognize the family resemblance in Jakob's second-generation rasp and intuitive songwriting, not to mention piercing blue eyes and dark wavy hair.
In the late '80s, The Wallflowers took up residence at the Kibitz Room in Canter's Deli in Los Angeles' funky Fairfax district. After an all-but-forgotten debut, Dylan rebuilt the group and segued into the major leagues with the multi-platinum Bringing Down The Horse. The 1996 effort, produced by T Bone Burnett, features sublime songwriting and jangly instrumentation that draws more from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and The Replacements than the electronica-tinged alt-rock that dominated radio waves of the era.
The Wallflowers have recorded five albums that stay the course stylistically — after Bringing Down The Horse, each is more intelligent and focused but lower profile than the previous (their most recent is 2005's Rebel, Sweetheart). Between Wallflowers releases, Dylan began to work on his own, contributing solo tracks to the television shows "Six Degrees" and "Jericho." He also paired with George Harrison's son Dhani on "Gimme Some Truth" for 2007's John Lennon homage Instant Karma, and offered "Whispering Pines" to The Band tribute album Endless Highway. Seeing Things, produced by Rick Rubin, is Dylan's debut solo album.
Provenance: New York City, New York
Latest Release: Seeing Things (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Jakob Dylan
