 From September 24 , 1965 , in Austin , Texas , Dylan toured the U.S. and Canada for six months , backed by the five musicians from the Hawks who became known as the Band . While Dylan and the Hawks met increasingly receptive audiences , their studio efforts <unk> . Producer Bob Johnston persuaded Dylan to record in Nashville in February 1966 , and surrounded him with top @-@ notch session men . At Dylan 's insistence , Robertson and Kooper came from New York City to play on the sessions . The Nashville sessions produced the double album Blonde on Blonde ( 1966 ) , featuring what Dylan called " that thin wild mercury sound " . Kooper described it as " taking two cultures and <unk> them together with a huge explosion " : the musical world of Nashville and the world of the " quintessential New York <unk> " Bob Dylan . 
