Judy Collins was the first person to hear Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’
The music world is oftentimes guilty of looking back upon the 1960s as an age of musical revolution and innovation, and it is easy to see why. The era was seemingly awash with music and songwriting geniuses who changed the lineage of the art world indefinitely. One such figure was, of course, Bob Dylan – arguably the defining voice of the 1960s singer-songwriter boom. With an extensive discography spanning decades, Dylan has no shortage of beloved material, but ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ remains perhaps his finest work.
Originally released in 1965, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ soon became one of Dylan’s most popular and profound tracks. More than that, though, folk songs became synonymous with the vibrant age of counterculture and revolution, which permeated the American music scene during the late 1960s. Seemingly, though, the song managed to outlast the counterculture age, transcending various generations and music styles to become a universally beloved anthem.
Inevitably, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ has inspired a variety of cover versions over the years, ranging from the good to the not-so-good. Most famously, psychedelic rock progenitors The Byrds popularised a unique and compelling version of Dylan’s track only a month after the folk star originally released the song. However, the track has been recorded by countless artists, including Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Melanie Safka, and Crowded House, among many more.
One of the most compelling takes on ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, aside from Dylan’s original, came from the celebrated singer-songwriter Judy Collins. Much like Dylan, Collins had been inspired to pursue music and lyricism by folk figures like Woody Guthrie, which led her to set up shop in Greenwich Village, New York City. It did not take long, therefore, for Collins to cross paths with Bob Dylan. Living in New York, Collins would often record other musicians in the scene, including Dylan.
“I was recording Dylan shortly after he wrote ‘Masters of War,’” she recalled in a 2023 interview.
After recording ‘Masters of War’ with Dylan, Collins became the first person to hear his defining composition, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’. As she explained to The Strange Brew, “I was at a party at Al Grossman’s house in Woodstock. And it was a party where Dylan was […] at night I was sleeping or passed out, what everyone did in those years. And I was upstairs on the third floor and I heard this voice coming up the stairs and it was Dylan writing ‘Tambourine Man,’” adding, “So I got my robe on, I went downstairs and I sat for two hours in front of this blue door behind which Dylan was writing ‘Tambourine Man’”.
This incredibly enviable experience clearly had an effect on Collins, leading her to record her own version of Dylan’s composition. Seemingly, though, the songwriter took bizarre experiences like that in her stride. “It was an exciting time,” she shared, “and of course, I was around all these singers and songwriters. Tom Paxton, I lived in the Village, so people would walk down the street and sing me songs and say, do you want to record this? I was in New York when Leonard Cohen came to see me and play me his new songs”.
So, not only had Judy Collins given the world some of the greatest modern folk tracks of all time, she should also be commended for recording some truly iconic artists and songs during her period living in New York, too. For anybody else, witnessing Bob Dylan writing ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ could only ever be the stuff of music fantasy, but it was just another day in the life of Judy Collins.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.