Bob Dylan refused to marry Joan Baez because he couldn't control her

[rollo]

I've seen Dylan in concert too. Mumbling, incomprehensible, each song ran into the next, no rapport with the audience.

BUT I can recognise his talent in the studio. I thought he was a heroin addict at one time. Joan was and is very striking and a passionate and talented singer too. Sara was a beauty. It's a bit of a rock 'n' roll cliche to marry a Playboy Bunny. I never realised he had so many 'wives' but I thought he had more children with Sara.

I wonder if the father knew his son would write up and publish his diaries for money?

[Seth82]

Never got the hype. He can't sing. And I don't get his lyrics to his songs either. And I prefer The Isley Brothers' version of Lay Lady Lay, although it's a stupid song.

I never really got the hype either.

He seems very overrated to me.

[witchcurlgirl]

I've seen Dylan numerous times. Sometimes he's awful, sometimes he's great. He's very much like Van Morrison in that respect. Whatever mood their in that day dictates the concert you'll see.

[rollo]

Funny, I was just thinking of Van Morrison! At least when I have seen him, he always has a brilliant band with him.

[effie2]

For me it was once in a lifetime chance to see him..all the money and the waiting and those hours standing..all the excitement for nothing.No respect..he was doing an errand.I really felt like crying.

[rollo]

Yes, he toured too much at one time. Now we can see why - wives and kids galore to support. It is a real shame for the audience when a world famous artist phones it in.

[Kathie_Moffett]

I can't stand him or his music. I remember years ago I took my Dad to see Santana, and Dylan was headlining. We were out in Devore, CA where that place was filled to the brim. Santana came out first and brought the house down. As soon as Dylan came out on stage everyone left. I'll never forget that.

I like some of his music as sung by other people. Like Johnny Cash's version of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"--my favorite Dylan song. Dylan himself is annoying to listen to. And yes, overrated.

Can't help but notice the way he seems to have taken extra pains to hide his African-American wife. This guy is a huge asshole in all kinds of ways.

Joan still looks good, but it was her sister Mimi Farina that was the beauty. She died a few years ago, too young.

Mimi was lovely. I still have and play my Dad's old folk records, including the ones she made with her husband Richard before his untimely death.

[rollo]

I saw a documentary about Joan Baez and it featured her sister, Mimi. It was very sad.

I like Bryan Ferry's Dylanesque especially the live version.

[panic]

Some of his songs suck but some are great. Lay Lady Lay is boring but I love Ballad of a Thin Man.

[sputnik]

I've seen Dylan numerous times. Sometimes he's awful, sometimes he's great. He's very much like Van Morrison in that respect. Whatever mood their in that day dictates the concert you'll see.

this. i've seen him a bunch of times and he's definitely all over the place live. kind of like his albums.
dylan is dylan. you either love him or hate him. i don't doubt he's been an asshole in his personal life and what's more, i really don't care. you've got to hand it to the guy though, for being one of the most famous musicians in the world, with one of the longest and most prolific careers, no one really knows anything about him. i like that about him. i don't doubt this book is one more in a long line of speculative gossip that tries to paint a picture of dylan, and fails.

[Trixie]

^ This. I'm not surprised if he's an asshole IRL, but the guy's an icon. And I love many of his songs. And yes, even his own renditions. Granted, he's not a particularly gifted vocalist, but then neither are some other musicians I've always loved--Neil Young and Tom Petty come to mind. Neil's been known to be a real asshole in concert too, so don't go see him live if you're not prepared for that.

[sputnik]

^^^^
this.
i'm also a huge fan of tom waits. it's about the entire package. they're brilliant, there's character behind these guys' offbeat and weird voices, they make it work. as for dylan, i would argue he's not just a brilliant musician, many of his songs are pure poetry as well.

[SHELLEE]

Hurricane is a good song, and as Mo brought up, all along the watch tower. Great song. He also produced a hot son, Jakob. I like many of his songs with the wallflowers. One headlight is a fave of mine.

[faithanne]

And I prefer The Isley Brothers' version of Lay Lady Lay, although it's a stupid song.

Ministry's is the best version.

i love Changing of the Guard because it's long and repetitive and full of words. Yeah I like that.

[rollo]

EXCLUSIVE: No show! Folk icon Bob Dylan shunned the wedding of the 'secret' lesbian daughter he had with his backup singer

• Desiree Dennis-Dylan and her partner Kayla Sampson tied the knot in Long Beach,California in June
• The became engaged early last year
• In 1986 Dylan married Carolyn Dennis, his backup singer, five months after their daughter was born
• Desiree's birth was shrouded in secrecy
• Dylan was invited to the wedding, but he declined to come

By HUGO DANIEL IN LOS ANGELES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:37, 18 September 2014 | UPDATED: 21:08, 18 September 2014

Bob Dylan's 'secret' daughter has married her lesbian partner - but her famous father was a no show at the wedding.
Desiree Dennis-Dylan married her partner Kayla Sampson in June in an 'intimate' ceremony in Long Beach, California.
The wedding took place during a six-week gap in Dylan's Never Ending Tour Schedule, but sadly Dylan, a prophet of equality and social change in the 1960's, didn't make Desi's nuptials.



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The Bride: Desiree Dennis-Dylan, 28, is the child of folk idol Bob Dylan and his second wife. a former backup singer for Ray Charles as well as Dylan himself



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..and bride: Kayla Sampson said her I do's in an intimate ceremony in Long Beach, California



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Folk icon: If Dylan had showed up at the wedding, he would have been surrounded by fans, said one guest



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Wedding belles: Bob Dylan's gay 'secret' daughter was planning to marry in August, but pushed it up to June

However her mother Carolyn Dennis - Dylan's ex-wife and former backup singer and a professional gospel/rock vocalist- did attend and performed Amazing Grace at the ceremony.
A guest told MailOnline: 'No, he was not there. I didn't see him, maybe he had a hat and glasses on but I didn't see anyone that looked like him.
'I would think that people would have surrounded him if he had.'
The wedding was held in a chapel in Long Beach, California, with a reception at a local seaside restaurant on the weekend of June 6.
Describing it the guest said: 'I would say there were probably 100 people, it was a pretty big wedding. It was in a chapel and then the reception was in a restaurant, in Long Beach by the water.
'The wedding was really pretty, very intimate.
'There was a lady who sang who was Desi's mom I believe. I think it was Amazing Grace.
'She sang and they had a friend of theirs sing a song. That was really nice.'
Bob Dylan was not mentioned during proceedings.
The guest said: 'The reception was outside and we sat around tables.


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Times are a'changing: Little Desiree, with her mom Carolyn was kept a secret by the singer and his wife Carolyn Dennis to protect her, they said


Archive: Bob Dylan performs live at Farm Aid 1986









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Celebrate: Desiree was surrounded by friends and loved ones for her May nuptials.



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Cut a rug: Pop didn't play at Desiree's wedding, but the couple hired a great DJ. Dylan's name wasn't mentioned, said a guest



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Pre-party: Kayla (in white) had a bachelorette party with her pals in Las Vegas


Bob Dylan stars in Chrysler Super Bowl commercial







'The father of the bride danced with his daughter Kayla and Desi danced with her mom.
'They did not mention him (Bob Dylan) at the wedding or the reception. It was a really really nice wedding. They had a DJ.'
Desi does not discuss her famous father and the guest didn't even know until afterwards that she was Dylan's daughter.
They said: 'I didn't know until later (Desi was Dylan's daughter) I was surprised. But Desi's a sweetheart. 'I've not talked to them about the wedding but it was very nice.
'I don't recall a speech, they just said thank you for coming. They had a fabulous day.'
Another family friend, who didn't attend the wedding, told MailOnline: 'He was supposed to be there but I don't know if he ever did show up.'
Desi was born on January 31, 1986 and is now 28.
Her mother Carolyn Dennis, a gospel rock vocalist, was Dylan's second wife and once a backup singer for the star.
They married in a secret ceremony five months after Desi was born but they quietly divorced six years later in 1992.
The singer managed to keep both his second marriage and the existence of a daughter a closely guarded secret for 15 years, setting them up in a Los Angeles suburb and visiting discreetly.
But in 2001 the secret was exposed by writer Howard Sounes in his Dylan biography: Down The Highway.


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Dyanamic duo: Backup singer Carolyn Dennis (left) and her daughter perform together. Carolyn married Dylan in 1986, five months after Desiree was born. But the existence of the baby girl wouldn't be revealed until fifteen years later

Carolyn subsequently released a statement saying they both decided to keep their marriage private to give Desi a normal childhood.
They agreed that their daughter could choose to take her father's last name when she became mature enough to make a decision and she did – opting for the double-barreled Dennis-Dylan.
Musically talented herself, Desi sings and has traveled the globe as a 'performer, master teacher and featured musician' for the performing arts group The Young Americans, according to an online biography for Educators of America.
Her bio also says: 'She has had the privilege of sharing the stage with such artists as Jessica Simpson, Kelli O'Hara. Hugh Panaro, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Crawford, Chaka Khan and Dick Van Dyke to name a few'.
Desi met Kayla while performing in the Young Americans.
Last year Kayla's mother Jolene Sampson said the family wouldn't know if Dylan was attending until the day, she said: ''Of course he's invited but he's just not going to go. He didn't say that but that's what we are assuming.'
Asked why she assumed he wouldn't attend, she said: 'He's very famous', but she quickly added that Dylan is supportive, saying: 'It would be sad but he is really supportive and happy for her.'
She later added, via an email: 'Some misinformation is about Bob attending the wedding. I have never met or spoken to him and have no idea of his opinion or ideas. We will only know the day of the wedding whether he will come or not, and that is not at all our focus for this celebration. Any opinion I had about his attending was pure speculation based on my own understanding of celebrity.'
MailOnline could not reach Desi or Kayla for comment.
Kayla's father Bruce Sampson just said: 'No comment, take care.'
A spokesman for the Young American's group at their office in Corona, California, said they had been asked not to comment.



Read more: EXCLUSIVE: No show! Folk icon Bob Dylan shunned the wedding of the 'secret' lesbian daughter he had with his backup singer | Daily Mail Online