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Robert Shelton ( , , , – , , ) was a music and critic.Shelton's most enduring claim to fame was that he helped launch the career of a then unknown 20-year-old singer named . Dylan was performing at in the ne-plus-ultra of folk venues, opening for a bluegrass act called the Greenbriar Boys.
Shelton's positive review brought crucial publicity to Dylan, which led to a recording contract and a cover of " ".
Shelton was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, He served in in during 1944-45 and then attended the School of Journalism at . He moved to New York in the , joining the staff of the not long after.
For a decade (1958-1968), Shelton reviewed music, in particular , but also and , becoming a good friend of many of the artists and extending his influence beyond the pages of the Times. His other work included writing the programs at the ; and doing album notes for several artists, including Dylan, as "Stacey Williams." During the early 1960s, he co-edited a magazine, Hootenanny, at the same time his friend edited a different magazine titled ABC-TV Hootenanny.
Shelton spent decades writing and rewriting his Dylan opus, , which was published in . The title is taken from the lyric of a Dylan song, "Like a Rolling Stone", from the album. The title of Shelton's biography of Dylan was borrowed by for his 2005 film about Dylan's early career.
Other books include "Electric Muse: The Story Of Folk Into Rock" and "The Face of Folk Music".
In Shelton moved to Brighton, England, where he wrote mostly about films for a number of publications up to the time of his death. Much of the collection of his early work has been donated to the .
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