Mike Bloomfield (1965)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-74269257.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tPrior to the events of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan concerts were solo acoustic affairs. He sometimes played alongside other singers with guitars, like Joan Baez or Pete Seeger, but they were guests. He didn\u2019t have a band until the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he famously \u201cwent electric\u201d with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and guitarist Michael Bloomfield, who was a key part of the Highway 61 Revisited<\/em> sessions that same summer.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cThe guy that I always miss, and I think he\u2019d still be around if he stayed with me, actually, was Mike Bloomfield,\u201d Dylan told Rolling Stone<\/em> in 2009.<\/a> \u201cHe could play like Willie Brown or Charlie Patton. He could play like Robert Johnson way back then in the Sixties. The only other guy who could do that in those days was Brian Jones, who played in the Rolling Stones.\u201d But Bloomfield didn\u2019t go on the road with Dylan after Newport, and they wouldn\u2019t share a stage again until Nov. 15, 1980, when Bloomfield came out during a show at the Fox Warfield in San Francisco, just three months before he died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nRobbie Robertson (1965 \u2013 1974)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"PHILADELPHIA,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
![\"PHILADELPHIA,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1173458207.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Charlie Steiner\/Highway 67\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tMike Bloomfield was a very busy man in 1965 since the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was red hot. He simply couldn\u2019t commit to a Bob Dylan tour. That\u2019s why Dylan turned to Robbie Robertson of the Canadian group the Hawks. He allowed him to bring Hawks drummer Levon Helm for the first concert at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York. After a couple of shows, he let Robertson invite the rest of the Hawks to join the group. This was the group (minus Helm for a period) that traveled the world with him throughout the rest of 1965 and into 1966, facing boos from folk purists most everywhere they went. The Band (as they eventually called themselves) remained Dylan\u2019s group for the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, and the 1974 Before the Flood<\/em> reunion tour. Dylan played with Robertson again at the Last Waltz in 1976. And despite all the lore between them and the countless Dylan shows in the decades that followed, they never again shared a stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nMick Ronson (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2211648580.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tNobody who saw David Bowie on the 1972\/73 Ziggy Stardust <\/em>tour thought to themselves, \u201cThat wild guy with the bleached blonde hair playing the sick \u2018Moonage Daydream\u2019 solo would work nicely on Bob Dylan\u2019s next tour. I bet Bob hires him.\u201d But that\u2019s exactly what happened in 1975 for the Rolling Thunder Revue. It was a huge change for Ronson since Bowie played the exact same show every night, note for note, and Dylan made every Rolling Thunder show pretty unique. But Ronson rose to the challenge. And, good lord, what an adventurous life on the road that man lived between 1972 and 1976.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nBobby Neuwirth (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"TORONTO,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-456993322.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Frank Lennon\/Toronto Star\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tBobby Neuwirth became a friend and close confidant of Bob Dylan in 1961, long before the fame hit, and he was by his side through the tumultuous, amphetamine-fueled 1960s period. He gets a lot of screen time in Don\u2019t Look Back<\/em> as a member of the entourage. Neuwirth began making his own music in the 1970s, remained close to Dylan, and was instrumental in putting the Rolling Thunder Revue on the road. Neuwirth played an opening set most nights, and then joined Dylan on guitar during his portion of the evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nT Bone Burnett (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"(L-R)](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1543431958_61d89d.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Nicolas Russell\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tLong before he oversaw the O Brother, Where Art Thou?<\/em> soundtrack or produced albums for Robert Plant & Alison Kraus, Elton John, Counting Crows, and Ringo Starr, Joseph Henry \u201cT Bone\u201d Burnett III was a guitarist-for-hire who landed a gig on Bob Dylan\u2019s Rolling Thunder Revue. He was a part of the extremely large band, and he rotated between piano and guitar. Several decades later, Burnett took several old Dylan lyrics from the Basement Tapes<\/em> period and turned them into the 2014 New Basement Tapes<\/em> LP with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nDavid Mansfield (1975 \u2013 1978)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"1978:](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mansfield.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tDavid Mansfield<\/a> was barely 19 years old when he was hired to play steel guitar, mandolin, violin, and dobro on the Rolling Thunder Revue. He was originally slated to merely back Bobby Neuwirth during his opening set. But Neuwirth\u2019s band essentially became the house band during rehearsals. Dylan was so impressed by his work that he became one of the few Rolling Thunder musicians invited back for the 1978 world tour. This was a very different band with a very different sound, but Mansfield found his place and stuck around for all four legs. (Rolling Thunder bassist Rob Stoner lasted just a few weeks in 1978.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nSteven Soles (1975 \u2013 1978)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Soles.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: David Redfern\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tThe Rolling Thunder Revue house band was essentially a mini orchestra of guitars. One of the players was Steven Soles. Like Mansfield, he was recruited into the caravan tour by Bobby Neuwirth. And like Mansfield, he made it through the entire tour. For a brief period after Rolling Thunder, he formed the Alpha Band with Burnett and Mansfield. They cut three albums before dissolving in 1979.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
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\nBilly Cross (1978)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-84893385.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: David Redfern\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tThe chaos of the Rolling Thunder Revue gave way to a much more organized tour of traditional venues in 1978. Mansfield and Soles were part of the team, and they were joined by Billy Cross, a one-time member of Sha Na Na. He stuck around long enough to record on Street Legal <\/em>and finish out the 1978 tour, before vanishing forever from Dylan World.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nFred Tackett (1979 \u2013 1981)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"SAN](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1348753769.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ed Perlstein\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tMark Knopfler played lead guitar on Dylan\u2019s 1979 born again LP, Slow Train Coming<\/em>, but Dire Straits were too busy for him to even consider going on the tour. That task fell to session ace Fred Tackett. He did a sensational job with the gospel material on the first leg, and then was given a chance to delve into some of the older classics in 1980 and 1981. Tackett joined Little Feat in 1988, essentially filling the void that Lowell George left behind, and he remains there to this day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nSteve Ripley (1981; Sept. 4 \u2013 9, 1990)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2203960807.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Johan Hultenheim\/AFP\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tTackett was the sole guitarist throughout the gospel tours of 1979 and 1980, and the Musical Retrospective tour of November\/December 1980. But country-rock guitarist Steve Ripley was brought in for the 1981 Shot of Love<\/em> sessions, and he joined Dylan\u2019s touring band later that year, where he shared guitar duties with Tackett. You can hear him on the June 27, 1981, Earls Court show that Dylan released on the 2017 Trouble No More<\/em> Bootleg Series. After parting ways with Dylan after the Shot of Love<\/em> tour, Ripley formed the successful country band the Tractors. During the chaos of the 1990 tour, Dylan brought him back into the band for five shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nMick Taylor (1984)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mick-Taylor.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Rob Verhorst\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tOn March 22, 1984, Dylan played a mind-blowing set on Late Night with David Letterman<\/em> <\/a>with members of the L.A. punk band Plugz. It is, by far, the greatest television moment of his career. In a perfect world, he would hit the road with Plugz that year, and guitarist J.J. Holiday would be on this list. But in this world, Plugz and Dylan never again crossed paths. Instead, Dylan hired former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor for his 1984 European co-headlining tour with Carlos Santana. Taylor is an incredible guitarist who lifted the Stones to new heights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But this wasn\u2019t the ideal gig for him. Still, the best moments from this tour are pretty special, and the oft-maligned concert LP Real Live<\/em> doesn\u2019t quite do the tour justice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nMike Campbell (1986 \u2013 1987)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Music](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Mike-Campbell.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: LGI Stock\/Corbis\/VCG\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tBob Dylan first played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the first Farm Aid in 1985. It went so well that a world tour was booked for the following year. It was an ideal pairing since the Heartbreakers can play basically any song ever recorded, and they all grew up on Dylan\u2019s music. The quality of the shows varied according to Dylan\u2019s mood on any given night, but they were largely pretty great. And Campbell was called back in 2009 by Dylan to play guitar on Together Through Life.<\/em> He also backed him during a surprise set at Farm Aid in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nTom Petty (1986 \u2013 1987)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"MANSFIELD](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-857497406.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ron Pownall\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tTom Petty and the Heartbreakers played a handful of their own songs at these shows, but the set was largely Dylan songs. It allowed Tom Petty to stand back a few feet and simply become a guitar player in his own band. He loved every second of it. A year after the tour ended, the Traveling Wilburys formed. But they never actually toured \u2014 a tremendous lost opportunity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
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\nJerry Garcia (1987)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Gerry](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-539577484.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Robbie Jack\/Corbis\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tFor six memorable nights in July 1987, between legs of his world tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan played six co-headlining stadium shows with the Grateful Dead where they served as his backing group. They pushed him to break out songs, like \u201cJoey,\u201d \u201cJohn Brown,\u201d and \u201cThe Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest,\u201d that he hadn\u2019t touched in years. Many of the worst moments were cobbled together for the dismal 1989 live album Dylan & The Dead<\/em>. But the bootlegs tell a slightly different story. Still, this tour doesn\u2019t represent either Dylan or the Dead in peak form. But it\u2019s very cool to hear Dylan and Jerry Garcia trade licks. There was tremendous respect between the two icons, but they rarely played together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nBob Weir (1987)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"GIANTS](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1179485331.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Charlie Steiner\/Highway 67\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tOf course, Bob Weir was also part of the Dylan & The Dead tour of July 1987. He got a second chance to play with Dylan in 2003 when Dylan and the Dead (as the surviving members billed themselves at this point) went on a summer tour together in 2003. Dylan sat in with them several nights and played songs like \u201cFriend of the Devil,\u201d \u201cLike a Rolling Stone,\u201d and \u201cGotta Serve Somebody.\u201d By this point, Dylan rarely played with other acts that toured with him. But he made an exception for the Dead. And he liked Bob Weir so much that he played his 2016 solo deep cut \u201cOnly a River\u201d<\/a> several times in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nG.E. Smith (1988 \u2013 1990)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"BARCELONA,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-99856680.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jordi Vidal\/Redferns\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tDylan\u2019s career as a live artist forever changed when he started a tour in 1988 that\u2019s basically still going today. Dylan hates the term \u201cNever Ending Tour,\u201d but that\u2019s what most everyone calls it at this point. The first of many guitarists in the group was Saturday Night Live<\/em> house band leader G.E. Smith. He was actually still on SNL<\/em> during his time with Dylan between June 1988 and October 1990: He just insisted that Dylan not book shows on Saturday nights when an episode was scheduled. Two years after leaving the band, Smith served as the musical director of Dylan\u2019s 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nSteve Bruton (Aug. 19 \u2013 29, 1990; Oct. 11 \u2013 12, 1990)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"CHEYENNE,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1299352240.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Mark Junge\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tThe only time the guitar situation in Dylan\u2019s live band was as chaotic as the summer of 2026 took place in the summer of 1990 when G.E. Smith gave his notice, and Dylan invited a series of possible replacements to join the band for a handful of shows each. They were basically public auditions. First up was Steve Bruton, who came into Dylan\u2019s orbit during the 1973 Mexico City sessions for the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid<\/em> soundtrack. He\u2019s on \u201cBilly 4.\u201d And in August 1990, he played 10 shows as a member of Dylan\u2019s band. During one of them, Dylan dedicated \u201cMoon River\u201d to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash the day before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nMiles Joseph (Aug. 31 \u2013 Sept. 2, 1990)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dylan-90.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Kevin Muzar\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tIt may seem like Bruton\u2019s run didn\u2019t go very well since Dylan gave him the boot after a mere 10 shows. But the next guy up, Miles Joseph, only made it through three shows before he was disappeared. Bob is not an easy person to please. (Joseph also played with Aretha Franklin, Joe Sample, Edgar Winter, and Bruce Willis during his long career. He died in 2012<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nC\u00e9sar D\u00edaz (Sept. 11, 1990 \u2013 March 2, 1991)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cesar-Diaz.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Putland\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tAfter giving three guitarists the chance to prove themselves with results he didn\u2019t find satisfying, Dylan decided to let his guitar tech, C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz, try out for the position. It worked out so well that he let D\u00edaz remain in the live band through the spring of 1991, playing about 50 shows total, even though additional guitarists were added during this time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
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\nJohn Staehely (Oct. 16 \u2013 Nov. 18, 1990)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Americain](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Dylan-1990.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jerome Prebois\/Kipa\/Sygma\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tThe crazy churn of 1990 somewhat calmed down on Oct. 16 when Dylan brought guitarist John Staehely onto the stage alongside C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz and G.E. Smith, who remained in the group throughout all the ill-fated attempts to find his replacement that fall. Things went so well with Staehely that Smith was finally able to leave the group three days later. And for the rest of 1990, Staehely and D\u00edaz handled the guitar parts on their own. Staehely\u2019s last show took place in Detroit on Nov. 18, and features the only live performance of the Blood on the Tracks <\/em>deep cut \u201cBox of Rain\u201d in Dylan\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nJohn Jackson (1992 \u2013 1997)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"1992:](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Bob-Dylan-John-Jackson.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Larry Hulst\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tStability finally came to the guitarist position in Dylan\u2019s band in early 1991 when Nashville pro John \u201cJ.J.\u201d Jackson was hired. These were initially lean years for the NET when many casual fans had totally written Dylan off. But after some very rocky shows throughout 1991 and 1992, things started to dramatically improve. Yet just as Dylan was on the verge of a major comeback in 1997 with Time Out of Mind,<\/em> he let Jackson go. The guitarist was brought back in 2006 when he played in the house band for Twyla Tharp\u2019s Broadway musical The Times They Are a-Changin\u2019.<\/em> The show was a critical disaster that closed within weeks, but Dylan came to a rehearsal and had a chance to catch up with Jackson nearly a decade after they parted ways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nBucky Baxter (1992 \u2013 1999)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"NASHVILLE,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Bucky-Baxter.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Erika Goldring\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tJohn Jackson was the lone guitarist onstage throughout much of 1991. But in early 1992, he was paired with Bucky Baxter, who played pedal steel guitar and electric slide guitar. Bucky quickly became a fan favorite by adding unique textures to every song. During the stellar shows around the Time Out of Min<\/em>d era, he was a critical component of the instrumental blend. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nLarry Campbell (1997 \u2013 2004)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1307960529.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Luciano Viti\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tMost hardcore Dylan fans agree that the Never Ending Tour peaked roughly between 1997 and 2002. Larry Campbell played an enormous role in that thanks to his skills on the guitar and fiddle, and his vocal harmonies. His musical chemistry with Bucky Baxter and later Charlie Sexton produced majestic shows that remain cherished on bootlegs, most notably their European run in the fall of 2000.<\/a> (Some day, this period needs to be chronicled with a Bootleg Series box set.) Campbell remains an extremely active musician, and has played with Phil Lesh, Elvis Costello, Levon Helm, and many other icons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nCharlie Sexton (1999 \u2013 2002; 2009 \u2013 2012; 2013 \u2013 2019)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"Musicians](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-116826861.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gary Miller\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\n\tArc Angels guitarist Charlie Sexton replaced Bucky Baxter in 1999 when Dylan hit the road for a co-headlining tour with Paul Simon. It was apparent from the very start that he was a perfect fit for the band, and had effortless chemistry with Larry Campbell. There\u2019s almost no doubt that the absolute pinnacle of the Never Ending Tour was Sexton\u2019s first tenure. Just listen<\/a> to any show<\/a> from this time<\/a> on YouTube for evidence.<\/a> Much changed by the time he came back in 2009, and he was no longer able to fully demonstrate the range of his talents. He briefly left for a second time in 2012, before coming back the following year when things didn\u2019t go so well with Duke Robillard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\nBilly Burnette (Feb. 6 \u2013 26, 2003)<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t![\"AUSTIN,](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-50931084.jpg?w=300\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jana Birchum\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
\n\tPrior to the events of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan concerts were solo acoustic affairs. He sometimes played alongside other singers with guitars, like Joan Baez or Pete Seeger, but they were guests. He didn\u2019t have a band until the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he famously \u201cwent electric\u201d with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and guitarist Michael Bloomfield, who was a key part of the Highway 61 Revisited<\/em> sessions that same summer.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe guy that I always miss, and I think he\u2019d still be around if he stayed with me, actually, was Mike Bloomfield,\u201d Dylan told Rolling Stone<\/em> in 2009.<\/a> \u201cHe could play like Willie Brown or Charlie Patton. He could play like Robert Johnson way back then in the Sixties. The only other guy who could do that in those days was Brian Jones, who played in the Rolling Stones.\u201d But Bloomfield didn\u2019t go on the road with Dylan after Newport, and they wouldn\u2019t share a stage again until Nov. 15, 1980, when Bloomfield came out during a show at the Fox Warfield in San Francisco, just three months before he died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tMike Bloomfield was a very busy man in 1965 since the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was red hot. He simply couldn\u2019t commit to a Bob Dylan tour. That\u2019s why Dylan turned to Robbie Robertson of the Canadian group the Hawks. He allowed him to bring Hawks drummer Levon Helm for the first concert at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York. After a couple of shows, he let Robertson invite the rest of the Hawks to join the group. This was the group (minus Helm for a period) that traveled the world with him throughout the rest of 1965 and into 1966, facing boos from folk purists most everywhere they went. The Band (as they eventually called themselves) remained Dylan\u2019s group for the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, and the 1974 Before the Flood<\/em> reunion tour. Dylan played with Robertson again at the Last Waltz in 1976. And despite all the lore between them and the countless Dylan shows in the decades that followed, they never again shared a stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tNobody who saw David Bowie on the 1972\/73 Ziggy Stardust <\/em>tour thought to themselves, \u201cThat wild guy with the bleached blonde hair playing the sick \u2018Moonage Daydream\u2019 solo would work nicely on Bob Dylan\u2019s next tour. I bet Bob hires him.\u201d But that\u2019s exactly what happened in 1975 for the Rolling Thunder Revue. It was a huge change for Ronson since Bowie played the exact same show every night, note for note, and Dylan made every Rolling Thunder show pretty unique. But Ronson rose to the challenge. And, good lord, what an adventurous life on the road that man lived between 1972 and 1976.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tBobby Neuwirth became a friend and close confidant of Bob Dylan in 1961, long before the fame hit, and he was by his side through the tumultuous, amphetamine-fueled 1960s period. He gets a lot of screen time in Don\u2019t Look Back<\/em> as a member of the entourage. Neuwirth began making his own music in the 1970s, remained close to Dylan, and was instrumental in putting the Rolling Thunder Revue on the road. Neuwirth played an opening set most nights, and then joined Dylan on guitar during his portion of the evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tLong before he oversaw the O Brother, Where Art Thou?<\/em> soundtrack or produced albums for Robert Plant & Alison Kraus, Elton John, Counting Crows, and Ringo Starr, Joseph Henry \u201cT Bone\u201d Burnett III was a guitarist-for-hire who landed a gig on Bob Dylan\u2019s Rolling Thunder Revue. He was a part of the extremely large band, and he rotated between piano and guitar. Several decades later, Burnett took several old Dylan lyrics from the Basement Tapes<\/em> period and turned them into the 2014 New Basement Tapes<\/em> LP with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tDavid Mansfield<\/a> was barely 19 years old when he was hired to play steel guitar, mandolin, violin, and dobro on the Rolling Thunder Revue. He was originally slated to merely back Bobby Neuwirth during his opening set. But Neuwirth\u2019s band essentially became the house band during rehearsals. Dylan was so impressed by his work that he became one of the few Rolling Thunder musicians invited back for the 1978 world tour. This was a very different band with a very different sound, but Mansfield found his place and stuck around for all four legs. (Rolling Thunder bassist Rob Stoner lasted just a few weeks in 1978.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rolling Thunder Revue house band was essentially a mini orchestra of guitars. One of the players was Steven Soles. Like Mansfield, he was recruited into the caravan tour by Bobby Neuwirth. And like Mansfield, he made it through the entire tour. For a brief period after Rolling Thunder, he formed the Alpha Band with Burnett and Mansfield. They cut three albums before dissolving in 1979.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tThe chaos of the Rolling Thunder Revue gave way to a much more organized tour of traditional venues in 1978. Mansfield and Soles were part of the team, and they were joined by Billy Cross, a one-time member of Sha Na Na. He stuck around long enough to record on Street Legal <\/em>and finish out the 1978 tour, before vanishing forever from Dylan World.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tMark Knopfler played lead guitar on Dylan\u2019s 1979 born again LP, Slow Train Coming<\/em>, but Dire Straits were too busy for him to even consider going on the tour. That task fell to session ace Fred Tackett. He did a sensational job with the gospel material on the first leg, and then was given a chance to delve into some of the older classics in 1980 and 1981. Tackett joined Little Feat in 1988, essentially filling the void that Lowell George left behind, and he remains there to this day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tTackett was the sole guitarist throughout the gospel tours of 1979 and 1980, and the Musical Retrospective tour of November\/December 1980. But country-rock guitarist Steve Ripley was brought in for the 1981 Shot of Love<\/em> sessions, and he joined Dylan\u2019s touring band later that year, where he shared guitar duties with Tackett. You can hear him on the June 27, 1981, Earls Court show that Dylan released on the 2017 Trouble No More<\/em> Bootleg Series. After parting ways with Dylan after the Shot of Love<\/em> tour, Ripley formed the successful country band the Tractors. During the chaos of the 1990 tour, Dylan brought him back into the band for five shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tOn March 22, 1984, Dylan played a mind-blowing set on Late Night with David Letterman<\/em> <\/a>with members of the L.A. punk band Plugz. It is, by far, the greatest television moment of his career. In a perfect world, he would hit the road with Plugz that year, and guitarist J.J. Holiday would be on this list. But in this world, Plugz and Dylan never again crossed paths. Instead, Dylan hired former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor for his 1984 European co-headlining tour with Carlos Santana. Taylor is an incredible guitarist who lifted the Stones to new heights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But this wasn\u2019t the ideal gig for him. Still, the best moments from this tour are pretty special, and the oft-maligned concert LP Real Live<\/em> doesn\u2019t quite do the tour justice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tBob Dylan first played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the first Farm Aid in 1985. It went so well that a world tour was booked for the following year. It was an ideal pairing since the Heartbreakers can play basically any song ever recorded, and they all grew up on Dylan\u2019s music. The quality of the shows varied according to Dylan\u2019s mood on any given night, but they were largely pretty great. And Campbell was called back in 2009 by Dylan to play guitar on Together Through Life.<\/em> He also backed him during a surprise set at Farm Aid in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tTom Petty and the Heartbreakers played a handful of their own songs at these shows, but the set was largely Dylan songs. It allowed Tom Petty to stand back a few feet and simply become a guitar player in his own band. He loved every second of it. A year after the tour ended, the Traveling Wilburys formed. But they never actually toured \u2014 a tremendous lost opportunity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tFor six memorable nights in July 1987, between legs of his world tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan played six co-headlining stadium shows with the Grateful Dead where they served as his backing group. They pushed him to break out songs, like \u201cJoey,\u201d \u201cJohn Brown,\u201d and \u201cThe Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest,\u201d that he hadn\u2019t touched in years. Many of the worst moments were cobbled together for the dismal 1989 live album Dylan & The Dead<\/em>. But the bootlegs tell a slightly different story. Still, this tour doesn\u2019t represent either Dylan or the Dead in peak form. But it\u2019s very cool to hear Dylan and Jerry Garcia trade licks. There was tremendous respect between the two icons, but they rarely played together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tOf course, Bob Weir was also part of the Dylan & The Dead tour of July 1987. He got a second chance to play with Dylan in 2003 when Dylan and the Dead (as the surviving members billed themselves at this point) went on a summer tour together in 2003. Dylan sat in with them several nights and played songs like \u201cFriend of the Devil,\u201d \u201cLike a Rolling Stone,\u201d and \u201cGotta Serve Somebody.\u201d By this point, Dylan rarely played with other acts that toured with him. But he made an exception for the Dead. And he liked Bob Weir so much that he played his 2016 solo deep cut \u201cOnly a River\u201d<\/a> several times in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tDylan\u2019s career as a live artist forever changed when he started a tour in 1988 that\u2019s basically still going today. Dylan hates the term \u201cNever Ending Tour,\u201d but that\u2019s what most everyone calls it at this point. The first of many guitarists in the group was Saturday Night Live<\/em> house band leader G.E. Smith. He was actually still on SNL<\/em> during his time with Dylan between June 1988 and October 1990: He just insisted that Dylan not book shows on Saturday nights when an episode was scheduled. Two years after leaving the band, Smith served as the musical director of Dylan\u2019s 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tThe only time the guitar situation in Dylan\u2019s live band was as chaotic as the summer of 2026 took place in the summer of 1990 when G.E. Smith gave his notice, and Dylan invited a series of possible replacements to join the band for a handful of shows each. They were basically public auditions. First up was Steve Bruton, who came into Dylan\u2019s orbit during the 1973 Mexico City sessions for the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid<\/em> soundtrack. He\u2019s on \u201cBilly 4.\u201d And in August 1990, he played 10 shows as a member of Dylan\u2019s band. During one of them, Dylan dedicated \u201cMoon River\u201d to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash the day before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tIt may seem like Bruton\u2019s run didn\u2019t go very well since Dylan gave him the boot after a mere 10 shows. But the next guy up, Miles Joseph, only made it through three shows before he was disappeared. Bob is not an easy person to please. (Joseph also played with Aretha Franklin, Joe Sample, Edgar Winter, and Bruce Willis during his long career. He died in 2012<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tAfter giving three guitarists the chance to prove themselves with results he didn\u2019t find satisfying, Dylan decided to let his guitar tech, C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz, try out for the position. It worked out so well that he let D\u00edaz remain in the live band through the spring of 1991, playing about 50 shows total, even though additional guitarists were added during this time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tThe crazy churn of 1990 somewhat calmed down on Oct. 16 when Dylan brought guitarist John Staehely onto the stage alongside C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz and G.E. Smith, who remained in the group throughout all the ill-fated attempts to find his replacement that fall. Things went so well with Staehely that Smith was finally able to leave the group three days later. And for the rest of 1990, Staehely and D\u00edaz handled the guitar parts on their own. Staehely\u2019s last show took place in Detroit on Nov. 18, and features the only live performance of the Blood on the Tracks <\/em>deep cut \u201cBox of Rain\u201d in Dylan\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tStability finally came to the guitarist position in Dylan\u2019s band in early 1991 when Nashville pro John \u201cJ.J.\u201d Jackson was hired. These were initially lean years for the NET when many casual fans had totally written Dylan off. But after some very rocky shows throughout 1991 and 1992, things started to dramatically improve. Yet just as Dylan was on the verge of a major comeback in 1997 with Time Out of Mind,<\/em> he let Jackson go. The guitarist was brought back in 2006 when he played in the house band for Twyla Tharp\u2019s Broadway musical The Times They Are a-Changin\u2019.<\/em> The show was a critical disaster that closed within weeks, but Dylan came to a rehearsal and had a chance to catch up with Jackson nearly a decade after they parted ways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tJohn Jackson was the lone guitarist onstage throughout much of 1991. But in early 1992, he was paired with Bucky Baxter, who played pedal steel guitar and electric slide guitar. Bucky quickly became a fan favorite by adding unique textures to every song. During the stellar shows around the Time Out of Min<\/em>d era, he was a critical component of the instrumental blend. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tMost hardcore Dylan fans agree that the Never Ending Tour peaked roughly between 1997 and 2002. Larry Campbell played an enormous role in that thanks to his skills on the guitar and fiddle, and his vocal harmonies. His musical chemistry with Bucky Baxter and later Charlie Sexton produced majestic shows that remain cherished on bootlegs, most notably their European run in the fall of 2000.<\/a> (Some day, this period needs to be chronicled with a Bootleg Series box set.) Campbell remains an extremely active musician, and has played with Phil Lesh, Elvis Costello, Levon Helm, and many other icons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\n \n\tArc Angels guitarist Charlie Sexton replaced Bucky Baxter in 1999 when Dylan hit the road for a co-headlining tour with Paul Simon. It was apparent from the very start that he was a perfect fit for the band, and had effortless chemistry with Larry Campbell. There\u2019s almost no doubt that the absolute pinnacle of the Never Ending Tour was Sexton\u2019s first tenure. Just listen<\/a> to any show<\/a> from this time<\/a> on YouTube for evidence.<\/a> Much changed by the time he came back in 2009, and he was no longer able to fully demonstrate the range of his talents. He briefly left for a second time in 2012, before coming back the following year when things didn\u2019t go so well with Duke Robillard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \t<\/p>\nRobbie Robertson (1965 \u2013 1974)<\/h2>\n
Mick Ronson (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n
Bobby Neuwirth (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n
T Bone Burnett (1975 \u2013 1976)<\/h2>\n
David Mansfield (1975 \u2013 1978)<\/h2>\n
Steven Soles (1975 \u2013 1978)<\/h2>\n
Billy Cross (1978)<\/h2>\n
Fred Tackett (1979 \u2013 1981)<\/h2>\n
Steve Ripley (1981; Sept. 4 \u2013 9, 1990)<\/h2>\n
Mick Taylor (1984)<\/h2>\n
Mike Campbell (1986 \u2013 1987)<\/h2>\n
Tom Petty (1986 \u2013 1987)<\/h2>\n
Jerry Garcia (1987)<\/h2>\n
Bob Weir (1987)<\/h2>\n
G.E. Smith (1988 \u2013 1990)<\/h2>\n
Steve Bruton (Aug. 19 \u2013 29, 1990; Oct. 11 \u2013 12, 1990)<\/h2>\n
Miles Joseph (Aug. 31 \u2013 Sept. 2, 1990)<\/h2>\n
C\u00e9sar D\u00edaz (Sept. 11, 1990 \u2013 March 2, 1991)<\/h2>\n
John Staehely (Oct. 16 \u2013 Nov. 18, 1990)<\/h2>\n
John Jackson (1992 \u2013 1997)<\/h2>\n
Bucky Baxter (1992 \u2013 1999)<\/h2>\n
Larry Campbell (1997 \u2013 2004)<\/h2>\n
Charlie Sexton (1999 \u2013 2002; 2009 \u2013 2012; 2013 \u2013 2019)<\/h2>\n
Billy Burnette (Feb. 6 \u2013 26, 2003)<\/h2>\n
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