Before settling on his now iconic name, Bob Dylan considered several other monikers. The legendary musician, whose real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman, almost called himself “Little Willie”. This was revealed in a series of his love letters that have been recently sold at an auction.
The 42 letters, which fetched $670,000, were written by 16-year-old Dylan to his high school sweetheart Barbara Hewitt. In the letters, he writes Hewitt about his hopes and dreams, including his ambition to sell millions of records and become a famous musician. Check and check.
One letter, in which Dylan invites Hewitt to a Buddy Holly concert, reveals that he intended to build his career under an unusual stage name. He signs the letter as “Little Willie, the lead singer of the Night Gales.”
Of course, Robert Allen Zimmerman changed his mind later on. He performed under various monikers early in his career, including Elston Gunn, before settling on Bob Dylan. Under this name, he became one of the most prominent figures in the history of music.
Dylan released 39 studio albums to date while selling more than 125 million records. He also won numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”
