Dylan’s rise as a Folk artist through his live performances

Dylan changed his birth name of Robert Zimmerman to Bob Dylan in August of 1962, inspired by his favorite writer poet Dylan Thomas. He had already been using the name since his days at the University of Minnesota. This represents the amazing change he would undergo, evident in his mastery of poetry and the lyric.

His live performances would become absolutely amazing and stunning to a hungry intellectual audience that many of the baby boomer generation(s) accepted and digested. If you were tired of love found, love lost, foaming at the mouth, drooling, nonsensical primitive rock & roll songs then with Dylan and the folk crowd in general, would satisfy your taste for more, and then some.

 

Dylan  signs with the artist manager Albert Grossman

Back in 1961, Dylan signed an agreement with Ron Silver, an agent Bob hoped would secure booking, rather than signing with only a manager. However, later in August of 1961, Dylan signed a management contract with the sometimes confrontational Albert Grossman as his manager. Albert Grossman would buy out Ron Silver for $10,000.

Albert Grossman had a reputation as a ruthless business man; he would generate more income for himself and his clients through aggressive negotiations. He would influence Dylan to transfer publishing rights from Duchess music to Witmark publishing (a division of Warner music publishing), Unbeknownst to Dylan, Grossman had an agreement with Witmark where he would receive 50% of Witmarks share of publishing income from all the artists Grossman could sign to Witmark.

Producer John Hammond and manager Albert Grossman would have much animosity over Bob Dylan’s business agreements, prompting Grossman to push Hammond out of producing Dylan to be replaced by the great Jazz producer Tom Wilson.

At the end of 1962, Bob Dylan would tour the UK playing many of the popular folk venues, such as the Troubadour, Les Cousins and Bunjiles, absorbing many European folk styles from various folk UK artists including Martin Carthy who would be a big influence on Dylan’s songwriting. He would unveil one of his most famous songs “Blowing in the Wind” on the BBC’s drama Madhouse on Castle Street. After this he would return to New York in January of 1963 to resume recording his 2nd album.

 

Suze Rotolo

In January of 1962 Bob Dylan moved in with his girlfriend in an apartment on West 4th Street, He would be influenced by his new girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, who was into equality, civil rights, freedom and anti-war sentiments. Suze Rotolo’s  family were left wing in their political points of view and both of Suze’s parents were members of the American Communist party. Dylan’s involvement with Suze would influence the emotional dynamic in his lyric and poetry writings.

After six months of living together, Suze left New York to study art in Italy. She would postpone her return several times, causing Bob Dylan distress and loneliness which was heavily evident in his original lyrical writings on his 2nd Album. Suze has since spoken out in her biography that she was not happy about being Bob Dylan’s “chick”. A smart and strong woman that she was, she was reacting to the lack of women’s rights and respect that were prevalent in the early and mid sixties. This attitude would only start to change in the last three years of the sixties, continuing in the seventies with the formation of the National Organization of Women (NOW).