Five Facts About Jakob Dylan And The Wallflowers

Jakob Dylan, the son of legendary musician Bob Dylan, has carved out an impressive career of his own as the lead singer and primary songwriter of the band The Wallflowers. Making music with the band since 1989, Jakob enjoyed both critical acclaim and commercial success, with numerous hits like ‘One Headlight,’ and ‘6th Avenue Heartache.’ He also pursued a successful solo career in addition to his work with The Wallflowers.

Throughout the years, Jakob Dylan wanted to be known as a musician rather than for being Bob Dylan’s son. Therefore, he rarely speaks about his father or uses his name in interviews. This led to rumors that the two had a strained relationship, but this was far from the truth — Jakob just didn’t want to come forward using Bob Dylan’s footsteps. Looking through his career, it’s safe to say that he made a name of his own. If you’re a fan of The Wallflowers or just curious about the man behind the music, here are five facts about Jakob Dylan.

5. Jakob Dylan Pursued A Music Career Like His Father

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Born on December 9, 1969, in New York City to Bob Dylan and Sara Lownds, Jakob Dylan was the youngest of five children. When he was around three, the Dylan family moved to Los Angeles. While growing up, Jakob listened to English rock bands from his older brother’s collection. The bands he was a fan of were the Clash, the Jam, and Buzzcocks, but Jakob was mainly influenced by the Clash when deciding to start playing music himself.

While he was in high school, Jakob Dylan lent his guitar skills to various bands. In 1987, he appeared as the guitarist on his friend’s band’s self-titled debut ‘Trash Matinee.’ Back then, he was also playing with a band named the Bootheels along with his future Wallflowers bandmate Tobi Miller. Jakob then focused on songwriting rather than guitar playing and started writing his own songs. Although he attended an art college after graduating high school, Jakob knew he was destined to be a musician like his father.

4. Jakob Has Had A Successful Career With The Wallflowers Since 1989

Dropping out in his first semester at Parsons School of Design, Jakob returned to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Around 1989, he and Tobi Miller formed a band named The Apples. Although Luther Russell and Aaron A. Brooks was in the band’s first lineup, they later departed to start their own bands. Ultimately, Dylan and Miller recruited Barrie Maguire, Peter Yanowitz, and Rami Jaffee, changing the band’s name to the Wallflowers.

After their eponymous debut album, the Wallflowers released their most successful effort ‘Bringing Down the Horse.’ After releasing three more albums, the band went on a hiatus and returned with 2012’s ‘Glad All Over.’ The band’s latest album is 2021’s ‘Exit Wounds,’ the highest-charting album in their catalog. Having sold over five million records, the Wallflowers also won two Grammy Awards: the hit single ‘One Headlight’ won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

3. Wallflowers Became A One-Man Band, But Jakob Dylan Had No Issues With It

After touring with Eric Clapton in 2013, the Wallflowers played several shows of their own. During the California show, the band’s longtime keyboardist Rami Jaffee played his last show with the Wallflowers. Jaffee’s departure was followed by others — bassist Greg Richling and drummer Jack Irons left after the concert at the River Roots Live Festival. Although the Wallflowers continued to play shows with a new drummer, bass player, guitar player, and keyboardist, Jakob Dylan later said he would turn the Wallflowers into a solo project.

Jakob continued making music under the Wallflowers name as a solo artist. He then released the band’s seventh studio album ‘Exit Wounds’ in 2021, making it clear that the Wallflowers sound is now an extension of his solo work. In a Washington Post interview, Jakob said that he has already been the constant in the band, making every decision for the band’s career path. So, he believed nothing had changed, with him being the sole member of the Wallflowers.

2. He Was Envious Of Bob Dylan’s Legacy

In a 2000 interview with Rolling Stone, Jakob Dylan admitted that he watched the Bob Dylan documentary ‘Don’t Look Back’ many times. According to Jakob, it left him in awe to see that the rules of rock were being written at that time. Jakob then appreciated how the documentary showcased his father’s way of creating a self-empowered rock legend. However, it was interesting that he didn’t use his name or the words’ my father’ and ‘my dad’ while talking about Bob Dylan.

Later, Jakob Dylan admitted that he was envious of his father’s legacy. As Jakob said, he wasn’t there when Bob Dylan established himself as a legend back then, and he wanted to come forward with his music rather than being a footnote in books mentioning his father. The musician then continued to praise the legacy Bob Dylan created, saying that there are countless biographies and books about his father. Still, he made it clear that he was determined to make a name for himself.

1. Jakob Put Some Distance Between His And Bob Dylan’s Music Career

Jakob Dylan started a music career, knowing he would be under the pressure of being Bob Dylan’s son. If you’re the musician son of a legendary music icon, there’s no doubt that people have high expectations of you. However, Jakob tried to avoid being compared to his father by rarely speaking about him. Although this caused rumors that his relationship with his father was strained, this wasn’t true; Jakob aimed to be known for his talents rather than being Bob Dylan’s son.

Jakob avoided following his father’s footsteps and trying to catch up with him. Speaking to Spin in 2021, he said that he immediately knew creating a legacy like Bob Dylan would be impossible. Instead, Jakob followed his own career path, just as Wolfgang Van Halen did when embarking on a career with his Mammoth WVH. In the end, he became successful, as many people are still unaware that Jakob is Bob Dylan’s son.