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Bob Dylan Receives Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music After 55 Years
This honorary degree is Bob Dylan’s first from an American institution since Princeton University in 1970, which inspired his song “Day of the Locusts.” He later received one from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2004.
For the first time in over five decades, Bob Dylan has accepted an honorary doctorate from a U.S. institution, as Berklee College of Music in Boston awarded the 83-year-old music icon an Honorary Doctor of Music degree.
In a statement, Bob Dylan expressed his gratitude and surprise: “Thank you, Berklee College of Music, for bestowing on me this prestigious honour. What a pleasant surprise. Who knows what path my career might have taken if I’d been fortunate enough to learn from some of the great musicians who taught at Berklee.”
The recognition marks a full-circle moment for Bob Dylan, who dropped out of the University of Minnesota after just one semester in 1959, only to later redefine American music through six decades of poetic innovation and genre-defying artistry.
Berklee Celebrates Dylan’s Lifelong Creative Influence
In a statement, Berklee President Jim Lucchese said the award honored Dylan’s “extraordinary influence on modern music” and “lifelong commitment to creative exploration.”
“Bob Dylan’s music has shaped how the world hears itself,” Lucchese said. “He’s an artist who never stopped evolving, who keeps chasing truth through sound and language. That’s the spirit we cultivate here every day.”
Matt Glaser, Artistic Director of Berklee’s American Roots Music Program, noted how deeply Dylan’s work connects to the college’s curriculum. “Dylan has spent a lifetime learning, absorbing, and transforming every American song tradition. His deep immersion in African American blues parallels much of Berklee’s foundation.”
He added, “As Dylan once said after meeting Thelonious Monk—‘We all play folk music.’ That’s the universality we celebrate.”
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Tribute Concert in Boston Honors Dylan’s Legacy
Though Bob Dylan won’t attend in person, Berklee is hosting a special concert tribute featuring students, alumni, and guest artists performing songs that span the icon’s vast catalog. The show will explore Dylan’s influence on roots, folk, and Americana music, highlighting his role as both a visionary and a lifelong learner.
This honorary degree is Bob Dylan’s first from an American institution since Princeton University in 1970, which inspired his song “Day of the Locusts.” He later received one from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2004.
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Still Creating, Still Touring
Even as honors pour in, Bob Dylan shows no signs of slowing down. He’s currently preparing for a new leg of his “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour across the UK and Ireland, following reports of new recordings in Albany, New York, earlier this year.
With the release of “The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window (1956–1963)”, Dylan continues to remind the world that he remains both student and teacher — ever curious, ever restless, and still shaping the music of generations to come.
