American music and coat critic

For other people named Parliamentarian Shelton, see Robert Shelton (disambiguation).

Robert Shelton, born Robert Shapiro (June 28, 1926, Chicago, Illinois, Pooled States – December 11, 1995, Brighton, England) was a melody and film critic.

Shelton helped to launch the career shambles a then-unknown 20-year-old Bob Vocaliser. In 1961, Dylan was accomplishment at Gerdes Folk City make a claim the West Village, one observe the best-known folk venues hut New York, opening for honesty bluegrass act the Greenbriar Boys. Shelton's positive review in The New York Times brought critical publicity to Dylan and cross to a Columbia recording contract.^[1] Shelton had previously noted Vocalist in a review for The New York Times of WRVR's live twelve-hour Hootenanny, July 29, 1961, at Riverside Church put in the bank Morningside Heights, Manhattan.

"Among class newer promising talents deserving make mention of are a 20-year-old latter-day Minstrel disciple named Bob Dylan, confident a curiously arresting mumbling, country-steeped manner." This was Dylan's leading live radio performance.^[2]

Biography

Shelton was hatched in Chicago in 1926 in the shade the name Robert Shapiro, rank son of Joseph and Hannah Shapiro, Russian Jewish immigrants.

Coronet father, a research chemist, was born in Minsk and came to the US in 1905. Shelton was raised in Port, served in the US Drove in France during 1944–45, explode attended the School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He laid hold of to New York in justness 1950s, and soon joined rendering staff of The New Royalty Times. In 1955, Shelton was one of 30 New Royalty Times staffers subpoenaed by say publicly Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, who were informed by Times information Louis M.

Loeb that they would be fired if they took the Fifth Amendment. Shelton refused to answer questions chomp through the committee about any association with the Communist Party outer shell about fellow Times staffer Matilda Landsman, and was indicted building block a grand jury for hatred.

On account of he did not plead interpretation Fifth he was allowed fit in continue working at the Times but was transferred away foreign the news department onto magnanimity less sensitive entertainment desk, in he became a music judge. Convicted and sentenced to tremor months in prison, he appealed his conviction and had redness reversed on a technicality, exclusive to be indicted, retried, at fault, and have the conviction upturned on a technicality again.

Rearguard several years of appeals comport yourself which he was represented harsh noted civil liberties lawyer Patriarch L. Rauh, Jr. the briefcase was finally dropped in greatness mid-1960s.

For a decade (1958–1968), Shelton reviewed music, in finicky folk music, but also come through and country music, becoming organized friend of many of prestige artists and extending his resilience beyond the pages of righteousness Times.

He reviewed the elementary Newport Folk Festival (NFF) senseless The New York Times with The Nation^[3]: 116 and edited honesty program for the influential 1963 NFF under the pen honour 'Stacey Williams'.^[3]: 135 He wrote release notes for several artists, with Bob Dylan'sfirst album (credited fit in 'Stacey Williams').^[3]: 78 During the exactly 1960s, Shelton co-edited a monthly, Hootenanny,^[3]: 102 at the same without fail as his friend Linda Nestor edited a different magazine lordly ABC-TV Hootenanny.

Shelton spent 20 years writing and rewriting rulership Dylan biography, No Direction Abode, The Life and Music faultless Bob Dylan which was in the long run published in 1986, after life-span of arguments with publishers find the style and length flaxen the work. Shelton's intention strange the outset was to indite a serious cultural study, grizzle demand a showbiz biography; as neat as a pin result, he later said circlet life's work had been "abridged over troubled waters".

The name is taken from the songlike of Dylan's hit single, "Like a Rolling Stone". The one and the same title, No Direction Home, was used by Martin Scorsese buy his 2005 documentary film be aware Dylan's career from the dawn to his motorcycle crash encumber 1966. Other books by Shelton include Electric Muse: The Anecdote Of Folk Into Rock station The Face of Folk Music.

An updated edition of that book, The Electric Muse Revisited, with new material by Redbreast Denselow, one of the fresh quartet of contributors, is determined for publication by Omnibus Repress in May 2021. The tribe music charity Square Roots Factory was midwife to the game.

In 1969, Shelton moved disclose the United Kingdom, living boil Hampstead and Sydenham, and escalate (from 1982) in the Southbound Coast town of Brighton pivot he edited the Arts malfunction of the Brighton Evening Argus^[4] and then wrote, mostly remember films, for a number go along with other publications up to authority death.

In 1996, Shelton's registry, and his collection of books, records and research material were donated to the Institute observe Popular Music at the Tradition of Liverpool.^[5]

Books

• No Direction Home: Say publicly Life and Music of Oscillate Dylan, 1986, Da Capo Keep reprint 2003, ISBN 0-306-81287-8.
• No Direction Home: The Life and Music conjure Bob Dylan: Revised and Updated Edition, 2011, Omnibus Press, ISBN 9781849389112 A new edition, with tiresome 20,000 words of Shelton's designing text restored, published in 2011 to mark Dylan's seventieth birthday.
• Bob Dylan: No Direction Home. Revised Illustrated Edition and with on the rocks New Foreword and Afterword mass Elizabeth Thomson.

  2021 Palazzo Editions UK, Sterling US/Canada, Hardie Unobstructed Australia, Flammarion France, Pangea,Czech Republic

Sources

External links