December 22: Bob Dylan @ Home Of Bonnie Beecher 1961

bob dylan bonnie beecher 1961

…the most famous of Dylan’s many “home” tapes, the so-called “Minneapolis Hotel Tape.” Recorded by Tony Glover at Bonnie Beecher’s apartment in Minneapolis, whimsically dubbed The Beecher Hotel by Dylan (hence the title of the tape), large portions of this tape appeared on the first Dylan bootleg album, the legendary Great White Wonder.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

The December tape has been in wide circulation for many years. It was actually the first bootleg ever produced. It was released on a 2 LP set in 1969, and went by the title ‘Great White Wonder’ It has been available under various titles a countless number of times in the decades that followed. The quality has generally been very good, and the performance tells the story of a fresh faced boy just out of high school, who had the energy and natural ‘world-traveled weariness’ quality that would forever change the world. It is absolutely required material for even the smallest collection.
~bobsboots.com

The Home Of Bonnie Beecher
Minneapolis, Minnesota
22 December 1961

most audio from grooveshark…

  1. Candy Man (trad. arr. by Revd. Gary Davis)
  2. Baby Please Don’t Go (Big Joe Williams)
  3. Hard Times In New York Town
  4. Stealin’, Stealin’ (trad. arr. Memphis Jug Band)
  5. Poor Lazarus (trad.)
  6. I Ain’t Got No Home (Woody Guthrie)
  7. It’s Hard To Be Blind (trad.)
  8. Dink’s Song (trad. arr. by John & Alan Lomax)
  9. Man Of Constant Sorrow (trad. arr. Bob Dylan)
  10. Story Of East Orange
  11. Naomi Wise (trad.)
  12. Wade In The Water (trad.)
  13. I Was Young When I Left Home
  14. In The Evening (Brownie McGhee)
  15. Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Eric von Schmidt)
  16. Sally Gal
  17. Gospel Plow (trad. arr. Bob Dylan)
  18. Long John (trad.)
  19. Cocaine (trad. arr. Revd. Gary Davies)
  20. VD Blues (Woody Guthrie)
  21. VD Waltz (Woody Guthrie)
  22. VD City (Woody Guthrie)
  23. VD Gunner’s Blues (Woody Guthrie)
  24. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
  25. Ramblin’ Round (Woody Guthrie)


    Hold the bottle in here. OK wait I gotta fix this, he man you gotta see some pictures of me. I’m not kidding yeah at Whittakers. I look like Marlon Bran.. James Dean or somebody. You gotta see. Like two of this blue turtle neck sweater on. All kinds of pictures of me, without a guitar. Or else you can just see the top of it. (Dave Glover talks off mike) Ha ha I know what you mean.
    ~Dylan – before “Black Cross”
  26. Black Cross (Lord Buckley)

bob dylan hotel tape 1961

According to Scaduto [Anthony Scaduto], Dylan gave copies of this tape to several friends, suggesting that he felt it was a good representation of his development as an artist. According to Shelton [Robert Shelton], Glover also taped Dylan at this time “doing [some] r&b-type Chuck Berry songs.” There is no evidence to support Shelton’s assertion, although Dylan and Glover may well have jammed together on those kinds of songs.


-Egil

3 thoughts on “December 22: Bob Dylan @ Home Of Bonnie Beecher 1961”

  1. Rumor has it that Bonnie was possibly the girl from the north country. What is true is that she was featured in an episode of The Twilight Zone and married Wavy Gravy.

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