Clinton Heylin (born Manchester, England, April 8, 1960) is a British author who has written extensively about popular music.
He is regarded as a leading authority on the life and work of Bob Dylan. He has published a full-length biography Dylan: Behind the Shades (1991) which was republished in an extensively revised second edition: Bob Dylan: Behind The Shades - Take Two (UK edition, 2000), Bob Dylan: Behind The Shades Revisited (US edition, 2001). He has published a detailed analysis of every song by Dylan in two volumes: Revolution In The Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan: Vol. 1: 1957-73 (2009), and Still On The Road: The Songs of Bob Dylan: Vol. 2: 1974-2008 (2010).
He has also written detailed biographies on Van Morrison and Sandy Denny.
Heylin has also recently published favorably reviewed studies of Orson Welles, Despite The System: Orson Welles versus The Hollywood Studios, and Shakespeare's sonnets, So Long As Men Can Breathe.
Heylin attended Manchester Grammar School. He read History at Bedford College, University of London, followed by getting an M.A. in History at the University of Sussex.