He shares one of the most famous surnames in music history, but Jakob Dylan has spent three decades proving that his story is very much his own. Born in New York City to folk legend Bob Dylan and model Sara Lownds, he grew up in the long shadow of an icon – and emerged from it as a gifted songwriter in his own right.
After graduating from Windward High School in Los Angeles in 1988 and briefly studying at the Parsons School for Design in Greenwich Village, Dylan chose music over visual arts. Alongside childhood friend and guitarist Tobi Miller, he formed The Wallflowers, a roots rock group that released its debut studio album in 1992.
In 1996, the band’s album Bringing Down the Horse became a commercial and critical hit, propelled by the singles “6th Avenue Heartache” and “One Headlight” – a song that would go on to earn a place at number 58 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest pop songs of all time. VH1 named “One Headlight” its video of the year for 1997.
The album’s success brought The Wallflowers two Grammy Awards. They went on to release an additional three albums before going on hiatus. In 2012, The Wallflowers reunited to release their sixth studio album, Glad All Over.
Dylan never gave up on the band and its legacy, and now, many years later, the project is coming to Monterey; the most recent album, Exit Wounds, was released in 2021.
Dylan has also pursued a parallel solo career with understated ambition. His debut solo record, Seeing Things, arrived in 2008, followed by Women + Country in 2010, the latter reaching number 12 on the Billboard 200 – a strong showing that confirmed his standing as an artist independent of the band that made his name.
Beyond his successful music career, Dylan has demonstrated a commitment to other causes. Alongside Dhani Harrison, he recorded a cover of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” for the charity album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
With The Wallflowers continuing as an active project, Dylan remains one of rock’s quietly compelling figures, a songwriter who inherited a musical world and built something genuinely his own within it.
THE WALLFLOWERs perform 8pm Saturday, April 25. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $54-$100. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.