Bob Dylan’s very first job and the reason why he started wearing hats
Since Bob Dylan began in the music game, he has seen all the changes in how musicians write, record and play live music, as well as seeing “love go by [his] door” countless times. Even in 1984, Dylan was considered a veteran. During an interview with Martha Quinn, the musician looked back at his early gigs and revealed the truth behind his trademark look.
During the conversation, Quinn asked Dylan for his thoughts on Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, to which he surprisingly replied: “I don’t know who he is; I know who his uncle is. I used to work for his uncle. As a matter of fact, his uncle gave me my very first job. I have very fond memories of his uncle, Manny Roth.”
Roth Sr. had been a nightclub owner and entertainment entrepreneur, which is how Dylan got to know him. “His Uncle Manny is a terrific guy,” the singer-songwriter continued. “Does he know that? He gave a lot of people their first jobs, as I remember. I’m sure there are a lot of people back down on the street that worked for Manny. Jimi Hendrix, Gordon Lightfoot.”
Evidently, Roth had been instrumental in helping young musicians to get their careers off the ground. Dylan fondly remembered: “I worked for Manny all afternoons from 12 until eight. I worked the day shift back then. He had a café which stayed open from 11 in the morning until four in the morning. And there was constantly something happening on stage.”
However, back then, the gig industry was not the lucrative business it is today. “You never really did get popular there because nobody was billed on the outside,” Dylan said. “Tell you the truth; he didn’t pay after that. So after you played, you had a hat or a basket or whatever you wanted to bring.”
According to Dylan, this is why he began to wear hats in the first place. “I never used to wear hats; most people did,” he said. The musician went on to explain in more detail the importance of hat-wearing. “My hat was rather large; when you took it off, it might have been a bag,” he said. “There were people who came in and used to wonder why people played with big ten-gallon cowboy hats, and it’s because you used to pass it around [to get paid]. The bigger the hat, the more money you made, you know.”
However, the hat love did not end there. Discussing his favourite music video, Dylan said: “Of the ones I’ve seen… I’ve got a few of them. I like that one of The Police where they’re jumping around in the studio, and they’re all wearing hats. I like that.” The track Dylan’s referring to is ‘Everything Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ by The Police, and sees Sting adorning a trademark hat. However, it’s likely he wasn’t wearing it to pass around to get paid at the end of the session.
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