Bob Dylan's First-Ever Demo Recording From 1961 Fetches $39,325 at Boston Auction
Bob Dylan's earliest known demo recording from New York's Gaslight Cafe in 1961 has sold for $39,325 at Boston's RR Auction. The master tape, recorded by Dylan's first manager Terri Thal, provides a unique glimpse into the legendary musician's early career.
Bob Dylan's earliest demo tape recording
The recording, made on an Ampex reel-to-reel machine, contains six tracks including original compositions "Man on the Street," "He Was a Friend of Mine," "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues," and "Song to Woody," plus traditional covers "Pretty Polly" and "Car, Car." Grammy-winning engineer Steve Addabbo digitally transferred the 1/4-inch Reeves Soundcraft Plus-100 tape.
Thal originally recorded the demo to promote Dylan beyond Greenwich Village, though she faced resistance from club owners who considered him "too freaky" for their audiences.
Notable Dylan items sold at the same auction include:
- "Cassandra" Mixed Media Painting: $79,539
- Handwritten "All Along the Watchtower" Lyrics: $61,599
- "View from Porthole" Mixed Media Painting: $66,448
- Bob Neuwirth's Stage-Worn "Nudie Suit": $54,206
- Signed Royal Albert Hall Photograph: $20,788
- Stage-Used Hohner Marine Band Harmonica: $19,456
"This tape is a revelation — a rare look into Bob Dylan before he was a household name," said Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. The entire auction, which concluded on March 12, achieved a total of $1,186,580.