On This Day, June 19, 2020: Bob Dylan releases 'Rough and Rowdy Ways'

By Jill Lances

June 19, 2024 at 7:00 am EDT

On This Day, June 19, 2020 ...

Bob Dylan released his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, which was his first album of original songs in almost eight years.

The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, but hit #1 on the Top Rock Albums chart. It also went to #1 in several countries, including the U.K., Switzerland and Germany.

The album's first single, "Murder Most Foul," ran almost 17 minutes long and addressed the John F. Kennedy assassination. The song landed at #5 on the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative charts, and hit #1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, making it Dylan's first #1 single.

Dylan launched a Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in support of the album in November 2021, which just wrapped in April.

He's due to head out on Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival Tour starting June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.