John Hammond, a legendary producer and talent scout at Columbia Records, is widely credited with “discovering” Bob Dylan and signing him to Columbia in 1961.

Who “discovered” Bob Dylan?

  • In music history and fan discussions, John Hammond is the name almost always given as the person who discovered Bob Dylan.
  • Hammond heard Dylan performing in New York’s early 1960s folk scene and quickly brought him to Columbia Records, where Dylan recorded his debut album in 1962.

A bit of context

  • Before Hammond, Dylan had already started building a reputation in Minneapolis coffeehouses and then in New York’s Greenwich Village folk clubs, impressing figures around Woody Guthrie’s circle.
  • Still, in terms of the classic industry sense of “discovered” (the person who spots the talent and offers the big-label deal), that credit goes to John Hammond at Columbia Records.

TL;DR: John Hammond, a Columbia Records producer and talent scout, is the one most commonly said to have “discovered” Bob Dylan by signing him in 1961.

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