Bob Dylan bootleg recordings are unreleased performances by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, that have been circulated throughout the public without undergoing an official, sanctioned release. It is commonly misconceived that bootlegs are only restricted to audio, but bootleg video performances, such as Dylan's 1966 film Eat the Document, which remains officially unreleased, are considered to be bootlegs. Dylan is generally considered to be the most bootlegged artist in rock history,[1] rivaled only by the Grateful Dead.
Due to his constant touring between 1988 and the present, and the fact that almost every show has been recorded, many of Dylan's illicit recordings come from the Never Ending Tour.[1] However, early taped performances by friends dating from the late 1950s, concerts, Newport Folk Festival shows, demo tapes, and studio outtakes provide a wide range of unreleased material to be bootlegged.