Previously unseen photos of Bob Dylan and his friends

One day in the summer of 1975, at 3:00 a.m., photographer Ken Regan's phone rang. At such a late hour, music producer Barry Imhoff approached him and asked him to film the Rolling Thunder Revue concert tour (“Thunder Tour”).

Then Regan was confused and did not find what to answer the producer. Suddenly, on the other end of the line, he heard the voice of Dylan himself, who confirmed that he wanted Ken to be the only photographer documenting the tour. On the evening of the next day, Regan was already in the studio where the musician was rehearsing to arrange the shooting in person.

In March of this year, Ormond Yard Press is releasing a limited edition of "Thunder Roll" photographs, most of which have not been released to the press. These are pictures of Ken Regan taken during the tour.

Today we're showing you 14 photos of Dylan chilling out between gigs with the likes of Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler and Muhammad Ali.

(Total 15 photos)

Source: Business Insider

Cover of the book "Ring of Thunder".

Rehearsals began in October 1975 in New York.

Rolling Thunder was different from Dylan's previous tours. This time, along with Bob on the stages of America, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, The Byrds leader Roger McGinn, T-Bone Burnett and others performed.

The preface to the book features a quote by photographer Ken Regan: “Bob gave me total freedom to shoot everywhere—on stage, backstage, dressing rooms, parties, inside trailers—absolutely everywhere.”

Unlimited access gave the photographer the opportunity to capture many informal moments. In this picture, Patti Smith and Bob Dylan chat in the stairwell during a party in New York's Greenwich Village.

Before heading out on tour, Dylan stopped by a studio in Manhattan to record Buckets of Rain with Bette Midler for her album Songs of the New Depression.

Over the entire period of shooting, Regan took about 14,000 photographs.

On some shows, Dylan appeared with his face smeared with white paint. “I want people in the back rows to see my eyes,” he explained to Regan.

The first leg of the tour took place in 23 American cities, including Plymouth in Massachusetts. It ended on the stage of the Madison Square Garden sports complex in New York.

In this photo, Bob Dylan, along with Roger McGinn (right), at the home of folk singer Gordon Lightfoot (left).

While in Lowell, Massachusetts, Bob Dylan visited the grave of Jack Kerouac.

When Dylan performed in Connecticut on November 13, 1975, the then-famous Bruce Springsteen came to cheer him up.

During the same show, Regan took a portrait, which Dylan dubbed one of his best photographs. Regan's quote from the book: "He turned and looked at me. I caught that look and asked him to freeze. It lasted about 30 seconds." The photo remained unpublished for 27 years until it graced the cover of The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue.

The last night of the tour was at Madison Square Garden. It was a benefit concert for boxer Rubin Carter. Then Muhammad Ali came to the backstage and presented Dylan with a huge boxing glove.

In the preface to the book, Guy White writes: “Ken was the epitome of tact. He never spoke in detail about this tour. It's simple - he wanted the photos to speak for him.