Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Rory Block Recasts Dylan With Blues
Coverage from PopMatters, All About Jazz, and others
Articles
15
Latest Article
02/28
Active Days
3255
Executive Summary
Rory Block reimagines Bob Dylan songs with spare blues arrangements, highlighting Greenwich Village roots and the emotional depth of his catalog
- Rory Block's Positively 4th Street is a nine-song tribute to Bob Dylan on Stony Plain Records
- The album uses sparse acoustic arrangements, vocals, guitar, and percussion with minimal overdubs
- Tracks span Dylan's catalog from A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall to Mother of Muses and Murder Most Foul
- Block centers on songs that moved her personally rather than obvious blues or folk choices
- Cindy Cashdollar contributes a baritone guitar solo on Not Dark Yet
- The project grew from pandemic livestream performances and encouragement from Rob Davis and Holger Peterson
- Reviewers note Block's phrasing and tone bring out dark humor, grief, and hope in Dylan's writing
Quick Facts
- What: A sparse blues-rooted tribute spanning nine Dylan tracks
- Where: Rooted in Greenwich Village and New York City
- Why: To honor Dylan while revealing the songs emotional depth
- Who: Rory Block interprets Bob Dylan songs on the album
- When: Released after pandemic livestream performances in 2024
Coverage Timeline: 3255 Days
Featured Article
Dylan electrifies Newport in 1965, releases Positively 4th Street, and reshapes the folk rock landscape.
Additional Articles
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PopMatters reviews Rory Block's album Positively 4th Street, focusing on her blues-based interpretations of Bob Dylan songs connected to New York roots.
AllAboutJazz published a review of Rory Block's Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan on AllAboutJazz.
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On Jun 24, 2024, Rock and Blues Muse reviewed Rory Block’s Positively 4th Street, a Greenwich Village-rooted acoustic tribute album to Bob Dylan recorded after pandemic livestreams.
On 2017-04-02, a WordPress blog post analyzes David Hajdu's Positively 4th Street as a study of the Dylan-Baez relationship.
Bob Dylan’s standalone single 'Positively 4th Street', associated with the Highway 61 Revisited sessions in New York, is examined as a scathing song reportedly targeting Edie Sedgwick.
Screen Rant reports on Dylan's 1965 Newport controversy surrounding the single Positively 4th Street.
On 2025-11-05, a blog post discusses Positively 4th Street as part of the Highway 61 Revisited recording sessions.
On 2025-07-25 in Alpharetta, Georgia, Bob Dylan performed Positively 4th Street during the Outlaw Tour, marking Newport's 60th anniversary.
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Parade published on Feb 9, 2026 a News feature about Positively 4th Street being highlighted as one of the greatest songs.
Bob Dylan performs Positively 4th Street in 1994, 1996 in Liverpool, and 2006 during the Never Ending Tour in Britain.
Bob Dylan opened his Outlaw Music Festival performance in Saratoga Springs, NY, on the weekend with Positively 4th Street, the first opener of that song since 1989.
Bob Dylan released Positively 4th Street following a Newport Folk Festival appearance.
Dylan's Positively 4th Street, released in September 1965 in the United States, is highlighted as one of the greatest songs ever written.
At the Outlaw Music Festival in Saratoga Springs this weekend, Bob Dylan opened his set with Positively 4th Street, used as a show opener for the first time since 1989.