1966-07-29 Bob Dylan Hurt In Motorcycle Accident Near Woodstock, New York

ON THIS DAY
THIS STORY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PUBLISHED YESTERDAY

There were three big stories in 1966. One of them was Bob Dylan's World Tour, a fast and furious even that contributed to his icon status.

The second was the release of Blonde On Blonde, the third in a trio of remarkable albums unlike anything ever produced beforehand, or even since. (Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited being the two others in this trilogy.)

The third was his famous motorcycle crash, 55 years ago yesterday. 

Dylan was living in Woodstock at the time with his wife Sara. His album Blonde On Blonde was just beginning to ascend the charts. He went out for a ride on his Triumph motorcycle and what really happened we will never know. How badly he was hurt we don't know. How it happened, we don't really know. 

I say that only because some have concluded, after analyzing a lifetime of interviews, that anything Dylan says is suspect. 

Dylan in Woodstock. Even as a recluse,
the press could not stop talking about him. 

What we do know is that he stopped touring for a while. During this period of hibernation, the legend of Bob Dylan continuously grew. The recluse was talked about as much as when he were out in public.

I read somewhere that one of the reasons the Woodstock Festival of 1969 was held in Woodstock was because promoters were hoping Dylan could be induced to return to the stage. As it turns out, while Hippie Nation was descending on Woodstock, Dylan and family were packing their bags for the Isle of Wight Festival in the British Isles. 

Painting by the author.

* * * 

Other big events that have taken place on July 29 include the release of The Beatles' Help movie one year earlier, and the death of Vincent Van Gogh in 1890.

Related Links

Anniversary of the First Rock Double Album, Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde

That Thin Wild Mercury Sound by Daryl Sanders Turns Readers into Blonde On Blonde Insiders