In 1991, Dylan was honored by the recording industry with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This event coincides with the start of the Gulf War against Saddam Hussein, and Dylan sang his song "Masters of War". Dylan then made a short speech that surprised some viewers.
Next few years saw Dylan returning to the roots with two albums covering old blues numbers: Good as I been to you (1992) andWorld Gone Wrong (1993), featuring interpretations and acoustic guitar. Many critics and fans commented on the quiet beauty of the song "Lone Pilgrim", written by a teacher of the 19th century and sung by Dylan with a haunting reverence. In November 1994 Dylan recorded two shows for MTV Unplugged. He expressed his desire to lead a series of traditional songs of the event was rejected by Sony executives who insisted on a "greatest hits". The album was produced from it, MTV Unplugged, including "John Brown", a song released in 1963 detailing the damage caused by war and chauvinism.
With a collection of songs reportedly written while his ranch in snowy Minnesota, Dylan was booked recording time with Daniel Lanois Criteria Studios in Miami in January 1997. The next recording session, according to some, filled with music on hold. Late spring, before the release of the album, Dylan was hospitalized with a fatal heart infection, pericarditis, caused by histoplasmosis. his European tour scheduled was canceled, but Dylan made a speedy recovery and left hospital, saying: "I really think I'm about to see Elvis." He returned to the streets in mid-summer, and early fall performed before Pope John Paul II at the World Eucharistic Conference in Bologna, Italy. Pope treated the audience to 200,000 people a homily based on the words of Dylan "Blowin 'in the Wind."
September Lanois produced the new album, Time Out of Mind. With a bitter assessment of love and a sound thinking, Dylan's first collection of original songs in seven years is very famous. One critic wrote: "The songs themselves uniformly powerful, adding up to Dylan's best overall collection in years." This collection of complex songs won her first solo "Album of the Year Grammy Award.
In December 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton presented Dylan with a Kennedy Center honor in the East Room of the White House, paid this tribute: "He probably had more impact on people of my generation than any other creative artists of his voice and lyrics heaven. 'T always easy on the ear, but throughout his career, Bob Dylan has never aimed to please. He was disturbed and uneasy peace is strong. "