Bob Dylan is without question a musical and literary legend. The power and quality of his creativity knows no limit. Songs, books, memoirs, sculptures, paintings and DJ-ing! Where and how do we begin to appreciate the full scope of this work? And that’s why a festival, Visions of Dylan, came to mind. If we could look at as many facets of Dylan as possible over a weekend, with talks, concerts and more, we might stimulate new appreciation and also bring new fans to his extraordinary output of art.

Bob Dylan has turned 80, and we hope he will continue to write and record, perform and paint for at least another decade. He continues to tour Britain and long may that continue, and there are conferences and tribute bands galore exploring Dylan in 2024. Visions of Dylan will try to look at as many diamond face aspects of his work as possible over a weekend in Farnham in July because there’s no time like the present.

When I began to make albums of Dylan’s work I was by no means the first woman to express his lyrics through a different lens. Folk musician and civil rights activist Odetta, who subsequently became a friend, was ahead of the game producing the album Odetta Sings Dylan back in 1965. I was however something of a pioneer in re-arranging the work and searching for new meaning in the songs. Through performing in New York and across the US I was lucky to meet many people who had been close to Dylan over the years and they shared a great deal. The aforementioned Odetta and Bob Fass particularly encouraged and supported my work.

I have been singing and recording Bob Dylan's songs for twenty-four years and it’s still not enough. I am endlessly, constantly amazed by what I have yet to discover in songs I already sing let alone the ones I’ve yet to attempt, and still he keeps writing. I’ve been on panels and written about Dylan, and have come to know many of the foremost people in the Dylanology field, so the opportunity to curate Visions of Dylan and to encourage new voices is, for me, a dream come true.