AllMovie

Few artists in the history of rock and roll have been more groundbreaking and influential than Bob Dylan, whose songwriting brought a new degree of literacy and intellect to popular music. But Dylan's music didn't emerge from a vacuum -- his work was informed by a wide range of musical and literary sources, ranging from activist folk and country blues to beat-era writers and French symbolist poets. Filmmaker Steve Gammond offers a look at the artists and creative movements that helped form Bob Dylan's creative vision in the documentary Down The Tracks: The Music That Influenced Bob Dylan, in which musical historians and fellow artists talk about the work that shaped Dylan's creative consciousness. Down The Tracks includes vintage footage of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as new performances from Martin Carthy, The Handsome Family, Po' Girl and Jolie Holland.