Music Trivia
Bob Dylan Trivia Questions & Answers
The man who invented the rock bootleg without meaning to. Test your Dylan knowledge, from Greenwich Village to the Never Ending Tour, from easy questions to expert level.
15 Bob Dylan trivia questions to test yourself
Tap a question to reveal the answer. From easy warm-ups to expert-level questions only serious fans get right. Want a score and a diploma? Play the full quiz — it has many more Bob Dylan questions than this page.
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What is Bob Dylan's birth name? Easy
Answer: Robert Allen Zimmerman
He was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941 and legally changed his name in 1962.
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Which major prize did Bob Dylan win in 2016? Easy
Answer: Nobel Prize in Literature
He was the first songwriter awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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Which label has released almost all of Dylan's albums since 1962? Easy
Answer: Columbia
Apart from a brief mid-seventies detour to Asylum, Dylan has been a Columbia artist.
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Dylan formed which supergroup with George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne? Easy
Answer: Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys released two albums starting in 1988.
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'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' was written for which 1973 film? Easy
Answer: Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Dylan wrote the soundtrack and acted in the Sam Peckinpah western.
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Which legendary Columbia talent scout signed Dylan in 1961? Medium
Answer: John Hammond
John Hammond signed him; skeptics called Dylan 'Hammond's Folly' at first.
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What is considered the first major rock bootleg LP, made of Dylan material in 1969? Medium
Answer: Great White Wonder
Great White Wonder, with its blank white sleeve, launched the bootleg industry.
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What was Dylan's traveling caravan-style tour of 1975-76 called? Medium
Answer: Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue hit small halls with a rotating cast of guests.
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At which 1971 benefit did Dylan make a rare live appearance with George Harrison? Medium
Answer: Concert for Bangladesh
His surprise set at Madison Square Garden was a highlight of the Concert for Bangladesh.
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In August 1969 Dylan skipped Woodstock but headlined which festival instead? Medium
Answer: Isle of Wight
He played the Isle of Wight Festival with The Band two weeks after Woodstock.
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Which legendary song was left off Infidels (1983) and became a famous bootleg track? Hard
Answer: Blind Willie McTell
'Blind Willie McTell' stayed unreleased until the first Bootleg Series in 1991.
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Which Greenwich Village club gave Dylan his key early residency shows? Hard
Answer: Gerde's Folk City
His April 1961 shows at Gerde's Folk City opening for John Lee Hooker were his big break.
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Dylan's four-hour 1978 film Renaldo and Clara used footage from which tour? Hard
Answer: Rolling Thunder Revue
The film mixed Rolling Thunder concert footage with improvised scenes.
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What did Dylan host on satellite radio starting in 2006? Hard
Answer: Theme Time Radio Hour
Theme Time Radio Hour featured Dylan spinning records around a weekly theme.
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The people behind Great White Wonder went on to found which infamous bootleg label? Expert
Answer: Trademark of Quality
Trademark of Quality (TMOQ) became the most famous bootleg label of the seventies.
How many did you get right?
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Beyond trivia: the Bob Dylan recordings most fans never hear
Dylan is where bootleg culture began: Great White Wonder, the 1966 'Royal Albert Hall' tape and the Basement Tapes circulated for decades before official release. Lost Tape Club carries a deep archive of unofficial Bob Dylan collector CDs covering live shows and broadcasts from every era.
Browse the Bob Dylan archive, browse all artists, or see real product photos of the collector editions.