Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
Bob Dylan fell into the Arms of the Lord through the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church. He made three Gospel albums, winning a Grammy for "Gotta Serve Somebody." However, his radical new direction alienated fans and enraged critics as he preached evangelical messages. In his first-ever interview, Dylan's Bible class teacher, Pastor Bill Dwyer, describes Dylan's born-again transformation. Legendary Slow Train Coming producer Jerry Wexler, background singer Regina McCrary, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, songwriter Al Kasha, San Francisco Chronicle rock reporter Joel Selvin, AJ Weberman and others tell the tale of Bob Dylan's Gospel Years. Director & Producer Joel Gilbert weaves the story of this monumental period of Dylan's life and music through revealing insider portraits, exclusive photos, live concert video and TV footage from 1975-1981, with visits to Rundown Studios, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, the Vineyard Church, and the Fox Warfield Theatre.
Filmed in the autumn of 1975 prior to and during Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour – featuring appearances and performances by Ronee Blakley, T-Bone Burnett, Jack Elliott, Allen Ginsberg, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Hawkins, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, Arlen Roth, Sam Shepard, and Harry Dean Stanton – the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life.
