The musician who completely changed Bob Dylan’s life: “I knew I was never going to work for anybody”
The moment Bob Dylan pulled out an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25th, 1965, shook the United States to its core. It was an audacious move from Dylan, whose set was sandwiched between traditional folk and old-time acts Cousin Emmy and The Georgia Sea Island Singers, and one that made headlines quicker than you can say ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat’.
Dylan became something of a counterculture icon with his outspoken views, thought-provoking lyrics, and experimental instrumentation. Songs like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, ‘Masters of War’ and ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’, written in the context of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, signalled Dylan’s desire to use his musicianship for something more than money and fame.
Growing up in Minnesota, Dylan listened to artists like Hank Williams and Johnnie Ray on the radio, but as he grew a bit older, he discovered Elvis Presley. In high school, Dylan formed several bands, including the Golden Chords, with whom he would perform covers of songs by Presley and Little Richard, two rock and roll icons who changed the face of popular music as we know it and brought with them a swagger and stage presence to be envied and imitated by many musicians who came after them.
Elvis’ music ignited something of a rebellious spirit in Dylan, which stayed with him through his career: “When I first heard Elvis’ voice I knew I was never going to work for anybody and no one was going to be my boss, hearing Elvis was like busting out of jail.”
The ‘King of Rock and Roll’ was something of a controversial figure on his arrival in the public eye. His supposedly risqué performance style and popularisation of traditional Black musical genres caused a moral panic among white Americans in the 1950s. He was considered a sex symbol and provocateur, and his reputation reached new heights with his performance of the hit single ‘Hound Dog’ on The Milton Berle Show on June 5th, 1956, debuting his signature hip-gyrating dance style on live television. Dylan would have been just 15 years old at the time, and it would still be another six years until he would release his first solo record.
Although Dylan’s music and performance style are vastly different from Elvis’s, it’s safe to say that the latter’s carefree attitude and disregard for the rule book certainly rubbed off. Elvis’ rise to prominence in the 1950s marked a significant turning point as singers and musicians became public figures, and casual fans became full-blown fanatics.
Dylan and Elvis never met, something Dylan attributes to his disinterest in Elvis’ film career during the 1960s. Despite never meeting in person, Elvis went on to sing Dylan’s song ‘Tomorrow Is a Long Time’ in 1966, with Dylan not recording his own version for another five years. He also went on to release a rendition of ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’ from Dylan’s 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, expressing his admiration for Dylan’s songwriting abilities. However, Dylan felt that Elvis’ music was no longer a source of excitement: “That Elvis was gone, he had left the building.”
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