Inside Bob Dylan’s ultra-private love life — from marriage to Sara Lownds to ‘heartbreak’ with Joan Baez

Aurora Skye9 October 2024Last Updated: 9 October 2024

0 0 4 minutes read

Inside Bob Dylan's ultra-private love life — from marriage to Sara Lownds to 'heartbreak' with Joan Baez

Bob Dylan’s personal life is coming into the spotlight following the trailer for a biopic of his life, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet.

The “Tambourine Man” singer has lived a storied life, more than worthy of a film recognizing his achievements. But as fans look back through his songs and his personal life, many people have wondered about his personal relationships.

Bob Dylan performs on a double bill with Neil Young at Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England

Bob, 83, has had a number of significant others — perhaps his most high profile partner was fellow folk singer Joan Baez, best known for her song “Diamonds & Rust.”

But he’s also had six children with two women: five with Sara Lownds, and one with his backing singer Carolyn Dennis.

Here’s all you need to know about Bob Dylan’s relationships.

Suze Rotolo

Bob’s first serious relationship was with Suze Rotolo, an artist and daughter of Communist Party USA radicals. Her face may be familiar to fans, as she was photographed arm-in-arm with the singer on the cover of his record The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Many believe that she inspired some of his early love songs, such as “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right.” The couple broke up in 1964.

The cover for the Bob Dylan album 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan', released by Columbia Records in 1963. The cover features Dylan and his girlfriend Suze Rotolo walking near their apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City. — The cover for the Bob Dylan album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’, released by Columbia Records in 1963. The cover features Dylan and his girlfriend Suze Rotolo walking near their apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City.

You may also likeWATCH: Hollywood’s Oldest Legends Still Going Strong

Joan Baez

After meeting in 1961, Joan was struck by one of Bob’s performances, recalling: “I never thought anything so powerful could come out of that little toad.” Two years later, she invited him onstage at the Newport Folk Festival, and they would go on to do a number of duets until 1965, in which their relationship fizzled out.

Joan accused the singer of breaking her heart, and their relationship reportedly inspired her best known song, “Diamonds & Rust.”

Portrait of folk musicians Joan Baez and Bob Dylan taken while they shared the stage during a duet at the Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island, 1963. This was Bob Dylan's first performance on the Newport stage. — Portrait of folk musicians Joan Baez and Bob Dylan taken while they shared the stage during a duet at the Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island, 1963. This was Bob Dylan’s first performance on the Newport stage.

“Dylan broke my heart,” she said in documentary I Am A Noise. “I was just stoned on that talent.”

But it seems these days, all is forgiven. Not only did they go on to collaborate throughout the 70s and 80s, but Joan later said: “We were in our early 20s,” then adding: “We were stupid, and you can’t blame somebody forever. I certainly tried but finally stopped.”

Sara Lownds

Bob met Sara in 1964 while she was a secretary for the film production division of Time Life. Sara would go on to introduce the singer and his manager to D.A. Pennebaker, who made a film about Bob’s April 1965 tour across the U.K, Don’t Look Back.

Actor Will Ferrell and director Jesse Dylan (R) pose together at the premiere of "Kicking and Screaming" at Universal City Walk on May 1, 2005 in Universal City, California. — Jesse Dylan (R) is one of Bob and Sara’s kids

The couple married quietly that same year, and Bob adopted Sara’s child from a different marriage. They would go on to have four more children together, including director Jesse Dylan, who has worked with the likes of Will Ferrell, and The Wallflowers lead vocalist Jakob Dylan. Many of their other kids tend to live relatively private lives.

Bob and Sara kept their relationship, and their kids, out of the spotlight. For four years, they lived a quiet life together in Woodstock, New York. They would go on to sell their Woodstock home to move to Malibu, while also keeping a home in Manhattan.

Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers performs onstage during Day 1 of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at Crypto.com Arena on September 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. — Jakob Dylan is the youngest son of Bob and Sara

According to the singer, tensions arose in their marriage in 1974 after he started taking art classes in the city. He said of the moment: “My wife never did understand me ever since that day. That’s when our marriage started breaking up. She never knew what I was talking about, what I was thinking about, and I couldn’t possibly explain it.”

The couple split in 1977.

Carolyn Dennis

The “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” singer married his backing singer Carolyn Dennis on June 4, 1986, six months after welcoming a daughter, Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan.

News of their relationship only became public when Howard Sounes released his biography of Bob in 2001, although Carolyn disputed certain statements made about their relationship in the book — specifically those alleging that the singer was an absent father.

Desiree Dylan in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt — Desiree is Bob’s youngest child

She explained that they took advantage of a California law that allowed them to seal their marriage certificate, which is why Bob was not listed as the father on Desiree’s birth certificate. The former couple decided that Desiree could choose to take her father’s surname when she was mature enough to decide, which she did as a teenager.

“To portray Bob as ‘hiding his daughter’ is just malicious and ridiculous,” Carolyn said. “That is something he would never do. Bob has been a wonderful, active father to Desiree.”

Source: HelloMagazine