Bob Dylan’s early draft lyrics for ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ sell for over $500,000

The original sheet lyrics of an early draft of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ have sold at auction for over $500,000.

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With Dylan fever in the air thanks to the recent cinema release of A Complete Unknown, the timing was right for the two yellow sheets to go up for sale at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.

The pages feature three typewritten lyrics of early drafts of the song, with Dylan’s own handwritten notes in the margins. The sheets are believed to have been typed in the home of music journalist Al Aronowitz in March 1964, with the artist spending the night writing and re-writing the song on Aronowitz’s own typewriter.

At the auction, the pages fetched $508,000 (£417,000), while other Dylan-related lots included a 1983 Fender Telecaster and a 1968 oil painting created and signed by the singer-songwriter.

In March 1964, Bob Dylan wrote and rewrote "Mr. Tambourine Man" at Al Aronowitz's New Jersey home. Aronowitz rescued the crumpled lyrics from his trash—now expected to fetch up to $600,000 at auction. pic.twitter.com/cLTt6UDEIk

— Eric Alper Read More