How Did Bob Dylan Saved A Life

Music that Saved a Life

On June 17, 1966, three people were gunned down in Lafayette Bar and Grille in Paterson, Nj. Nearly a year later, Light Heavyweight boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter would be convicted by an all white jury despite a complete absence of physical evidence, motive or credible witnesses. He would sit in prison for 18 years. His freedom was finally granted thanks to public support brought by an 8 minute 33 second song by America’s greatest musical story teller. Bob Dylan, often called the most influential singer of his generation, did more than raise awareness with “Hurricane”, he saved an innocent life.

In the summer of 1965, Bob Dylan, already a folk hero and crowd favorite at the Newport Folk Festival, would invent a new genre of music with a

None the less, Dylan would exude an anti­establishment aura that would be the foundation of rock ‘n’ roll.

Notoriously flippant with the press, he hated being pigeon holed. When asked if he thought of himself more as a singer or as a songwriter, he replied, he thought of himself as a “song and dance man”. As the title of “voice of a generation” and “voice of a movement” began being heaped on him, he released Another Side of Bob Dylan with the stated intent of shedding his image as face of the revolution (it didn't work). As much as he disdained idol worship, his praise was deserved and continuous. It's hard to truly measure how many lives Dylan touched, but there is one we all agree he saved.

After seven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter sent a copy of his autobiography The Sixteenth Round, to Bob Dylan. After reading it, Dylan came to visit Carter in prison. Despite having moved away from his “voice of the people” role and writing very few protest songs in the 70’s, the meeting had tremendous impact on Dylan.