The lyrics of ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ by Bob Dylan, sold for half a million euros

The jewel of the auction was two yellow sheets with three progressive drafts of the lyrics of Dylan’s first hit with annotations on the third draft of the song, which had been saved by the American music journalist Al Aronowitz. In March 1964, Aronowitz woke up in his New Jersey home to find Dylan – then 22 years old and who had spent the night in his living room – asleep on his couch and the lyrics to ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ crumpled in his trash can. . He had been up until the wee hours of the morning writing and rewriting his new song on the reporter’s typewriter.

In an article titled ‘Bob Dylan: The Champ Has No Contenders’, Aronowitz wrote that he “found a bin full of crumpled false starts” and what turned out to be the drafts of Mr Tambourine Man. “I took the crumpled sheets, smoothed them out, read the notes, I smiled when I saw the verses that never came to fruition and I put them in a folder,” he added.

Of the 60 objects offered for sale at the auction, held at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, 50 were from Aronowitz’s personal collection. The second one that reached the highest price was a 1968 oil painting created and signed by Dylansold for $260,000. The work, which represents a figure in bright colors and a cubist style, was made by the American singer-songwriter at the beginning of his artistic career, after his first wife, Sara, gave him oil paintings for his 27th birthday.

“It has been our honor to curate this truly unique collection of so many historic Bob Dylan memorabilia from the grandfather of rock journalism, Al Aronowitz,” said Nolan. «Today’s white glove auction only reinforces the extraordinary impact and the undying love that people have for Dylanwhich transcends generations.

Among the other lots of great value was a 1983 Fender Telecaster electric guitar which was owned by Dylan and which he played before giving it to the famous amplifier technician and musician César Díaz. The instrument surpassed its estimate of $80,000 to $120,000 to sell for $222,250.

Several Dylan sketches also exceeded their estimated price, including a notepad from the Plaza Hotel in New York which was expected to sell for between $1,500 and $2,500, but ultimately sold for $88,900. A Levi’s denim jacket hand-embellished with velvet, lace and other patches worn by the singer in the 1987 musical film ‘Hearts of fire‘ It sold for $25,400.

Also sold were a 1963 booklet from his first big performance at New York’s Town Hall, vintage photographs, a signed harmonica, Aronowitz’s detailed handwritten notes while watching Dylan participate in the Doug Sahm & Band recording sessions in 1972. either the signed handwritten lyrics of ‘Blowin in the Wind’.

«My father talked about it, but I had no idea where they were. I thought I had lost them or someone had stolen them. It took us years to go through the files folder by folder until we found them,” Aronowitz’s son told Rolling Stone about the drafts of the lyrics for ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’. «My family and I are delighted with the auction. “These objects are proof of the unique and intimate place that my father occupied in musical and cultural history alongside his good friend Bob Dylan and all the other iconic artists of his time.”

In another auction held this weekend by the Moments in Time house, a will that Bob Dylan wrote in 1975, when he was 34 years old, was sold for 27,000 euros. Dylan, who signed the document with his legal name, Robert Dylan, had allocated $50,000 and a 10-acre home in Hennepin County, Minnesota, to his younger brother, David Zimmerman. In the text, Dylan also alluded to the five children he had at the time the document was written, making provisions for any future children he might take in.

Dylan is the father of six adult children: Maria Dylan Himmelman, 63, Jesse Byron Dylan, 59, Anna Dylan, 57, Sam Dylan, 56, and The Wallflowers singer Jakob Dylan, 54, with his ex wife Sara Lownds; and Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan, 38, with his ex-wife Carolyn Dennis.