Bob Dylan’s Original Typewritten “Mr. Tambourine Man” Lyrics and More from Al Aronowitz’s Archives Set for Julien’s Auction Block on Saturday

January 16, 2025

Photo Credit: Val Wilmer (via Julien’s Auctions)

On Saturday, Jan. 18, a new collection of Bob Dylan’s archival material will go to auction. The latest event from Julien’s Auctions will feature 50 lots from the records of storied journalist Al Aronowitz, who played a crucial role in bringing Dylan’s music to the world and forging meaningful artistic connections by introducing him to Allen Ginsberg and The Beatles.

“He wasn’t just a writer with a powerbase as a New York columnist; Al had this unique kind of magic,” Aronowitz’s son Myles reflected in a release. “He made these introductions that went on to shape culture itself. It was more than power or influence—there was something truly magical about what he did. The collection represents my Father’s instinctive ability to identify and connect with greatness. Each item is evidence of this, and how with his magic, he literally brought you into the room!”

The coveted relics of Aronowitz’s career are currently on display at Nashville, Tenn.’s Musician’s Hall of Fame & Museum as part of an exhibit titled “Celebrating Bob Dylan: The Aronowitz Archive, T Bone Burnett, & More.” After the public display’s month-long run concludes tomorrow, Jan. 17, the museum will host the Julien’s auction, beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday and available online at juliensauctions.com.

While all the memorabilia available in the upcoming auction demonstrates Aronowitz’s unprecedented access to Dylan at an eruptively formative stage in his career, no item communicates the nuance of their relationship quite like the auction’s centerpiece: three original typewritten drafts of the lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man.” “Bob Dylan wrote “Mr. Tambourine Man” one night in my house in Berkeley Heights, N.J., sitting with my portable typewriter at my white formica breakfast bar in a swirl of chain-lit cigaret [sic] smoke,” Aronowitz recalled for the Sunday News in 1973, “while the whole time, over and over again, Marvin Gaye sang “Can I Get a Witness?” from the 6-foot speakers of my hi-fi in the room next to where he was, with Bob getting up from the typewriter each time the record finished in order to put the needle back at the start.

“At the breakfast bar I found a waste basket full of crumpled false starts,” the journalist continued. “I took it out the side door to empty it into the trash can when a whispering emotion caught me, like a breeze that sometimes gently stops you cold just because of its own ghostly power to make you notice it. I took the crumpled sheets, smoothed them out, read the crazy leaping lines, smiled to myself at the leaps that never landed and then put the sheets into a file folder. I still have them somewhere.”

The three progressive drafts show Dylan’s mind at work, taking incredible leaps with each iteration to perfect one of his most iconic songs. The extraordinary access to Dylan’s thought process and the aura of this pivotal moment are projected to fetch a price of $400,000 to $650,000 in Saturday’s auction. Further rarities up for grabs include a 1968 original oil painting by Dylan (courting $200,000-$300,000), a 1983 Fender Telecaster made and played by Dylan ($80,000-$120,000) and a hand-embellished Levi’s denim jacket worn by the artist in 1987’s Hearts of Fire ($20,000-$30,000).

Fans can register to bid in Julien’s “Celebrating Bob Dylan” auction now. For more information, visit juliensauctions.com.