Three Lesser-Known Bob Dylan Facts

Since 2013, Jonathan (Jon) David has served as the CEO of Tapstone Holdings, LLC. When he is not working, Jonathan David enjoys listening to Bob Dylan. 

Dylan has largely remained an enigma through his decades-spanning career. Here are three-lesser known facts about Dylan. 

1. Hammond’s Folly - Bob Dylan was first signed to Columbia records after producer John H. Hammond heard Dylan playing harmonica on a record from Carolyn Hester. Though Hammond’s boss and Columbia’s vice president chided Dylan’s voice as being the worst thing he’d ever heard, Hammond signed Dylan anyway. After Dylan's first album was considered a commercial flop, the hire came to be known as "Hammond's Folly," though the producer’s faith eventually paid off. Hammond is also responsible for signing such legends as Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, and Billie Holiday. 

2. Holden Caulfield - Though Dylan starred in the unsuccessful 1987 film Hearts of Fire, he almost got his first leading role decades earlier. An agent from MCA approached John H. Hammond in 1962, saying he thought Dylan would be perfect for the role of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, for which the studio owned the rights. The film, and consequently Dylan’s role in it, never came to fruition. 

3. “House of the Rising Sun” - One of the songs on Dylan’s self-titled first album is the classic “House of the Rising Sun.” Dylan learned the particular arrangement he used for the song from Dave Van Ronk, another, often-overlooked, folk musician. However, Dylan didn’t ask Van Ronk’s permission to use that version until after he already did it. Van Ronk eventually had to stop playing the song, tired of people thinking he got it from Dylan. Dylan himself ended up doing the same thing when The Animals released their popular version of the song.