Boston, MA — RR Auction is thrilled to present an exceptional auction featuring an array of memorabilia linked to Bob Dylan, highlighted by the remarkable Bob Neuwirth Collection. Bob Neuwirth is portrayed by Will Harrison in the lauded film, “ A Complete Unkown.” This event offers a profound look into the influential worlds of folk and rock history, showcasing items from Neuwirth's personal archives.

Key Highlights:

1975 Martin D-41 Acoustic Guitar: Gifted by Bob Dylan to his friend and collaborator Bob Neuwirth, this guitar carries a story of a pivotal moment at Manny's Music in NYC, where Dylan and Neuwirth selected two Martin D-41 guitars — one with a plain top and the other a sunburst finish that beautifully emphasized the mother of pearl binding along the edges and top of the sound hole. Neuwirth persuaded Dylan to purchase the sunburst, which Dylan then gifted to him, saying, "I'd like to give this to you, we'll use it on the Rolling Thunder Tour." Neuwirth frequently played this guitar on stage during the tour, as documented in photographs and film footage, including the 'Hard Rain' concert film and 'Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.' It's likely that Dylan himself also played this guitar, as noted by the tour's guitar tech, who remarked on the easy exchange of instruments between Dylan and Neuwirth. The guitar is accompanied by its original hardshell travel case, adorned with various tour-related labels and guest passes, capturing the essence of its extensive journey.
Bob Neuwirth's Nudie Suit: Purchased by Dylan, this suit was worn by Neuwirth at the Night of the Hurricane II concert. Featuring intricate rhinestone and gold-thread embroidery, it exemplifies the theatrical spirit of the Rolling Thunder Revue.

Additional Key Items from the Bob Neuwirth Collection include: a 1961 Gibson Hummingbird Acoustic Guitar; Rolling Thunder Revue Memorabilia, including a mirror, framed backstage pass, map, buttons, and tickets; Personal Apparel, such as cowboy boots by Lucchese and Larry Mahan, and a variety of tour T-shirts; and Artistic Pieces like original prints, photographs from London in 1965, and a rare piece of Neuwirth's abstract artwork.

Among Other Items in the Sale is The Earliest Known Recording of Bob Dylan: This first demo tape, recorded at New York's Gaslight Café in 1961, features tracks like "Man on the Street" and "Song to Woody," capturing a pivotal moment in Dylan's career. Managed by his first manager, Terri Thal, this tape was crucial in promoting Dylan across Massachusetts despite resistance from club owners.

"This auction not only celebrates Dylan's musical genius but also Bob Neuwirth's pivotal role as an artist and influential figure who was part of so many pivotal music events," said Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. "These items represent monumental moments from the early days in the Cambridge folk scene to the rollicking stages of the Rolling Thunder Revue presaging Neuwirth’s long creative career.

Proceeds from the Neuwirth Collection will support ‘Untitled: Bob Neuwirth Project’,' a documentary exploring Neuwirth's role as a central figure in music and art and his creative influence on the careers of so many others.

Auction Details: The Fine Autographs and Artifacts featuring the Bob Dylan and Bob Neuwirth collection began on February 21 and will conclude on March 12. Interested bidders can find more details and participate by visiting www.rrauction.com.

About RR Auction: RR Auction, a globally recognized and trusted source for rare documents, manuscripts, autographs, and historic artifacts, was founded in 1976 and prides itself on authentic memorabilia and a thorough verification process, ensuring collector satisfaction.

Bob Neuwirth may be the rock ‘n’ roll legend that the most people have heard about but not actually heard. A veteran of the folk-rock scene of the 1960s, he became a key figure in the lives or careers of friends like Janis Joplin, T Bone Burnett and Patti Smith — and you’ll see someone playing him in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” just as you might have seen him on the periphery of the ‘60s documentary “Don’t Look Back.” But given his enormous renown among the cognoscenti, it’s always surprising to look at his actual discography and see how thin it is: When he died in 2022 at age 82, he’d recorded only six albums in his lifetime.

So if one of those albums happened to be compromised in any way, that counted for more than it might have in a more prolific recording career. Which brings us to his arguably overbaked debut album, the self-titled “Bob Neuwirth,” released on David Geffen’s Asylum label in 1974. He had already achieved a level of fame some years prior to that first album, and it would be another 14 years after that before he went into the studio to make a second album, so it’s the only representation of him as a fairly young musical artist. And the general consensus, at least among himself and his inner circle, was that it was more of a lost opportunity than blazing introduction. The fact that the record was an all-star affair made the irony greater: It’s only slightly hyperbolic to say there might’ve been more big names joining Neuwirth in the studio than there were people who bought the subsequent LP...

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RIGHT UP UNTIL his death in 2022, Bob Neuwirth was known to cognoscenti as a songwriter (“Mercedes Benz,”famously recorded by Janis Joplin), painter, recording artist, and onetime member of Bob Dylan’s inner hipstercircle. The last thing he was known for was being famous, which his longtime partner, music executive Paula Batson,says was intentional. “He was very self-effacing in a way,” she says. “He didn’t believe in blowing your own horn. Heloved promoting other people and helping them, but he wasn’t good at self-promotion.”

Two years after he died of heart failure at age 82, Neuwirth’s profile is about to increase beyond his appearance inD.A. Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back. In December, actor Will Harrison (who played Graham Dunne, the lead guitaristin the streaming series Daisy Jones & the Six) will be seen playing Neuwirth in A Complete Unknown, the Dylanbiopic starring Timothée Chalamet. A documentary on Neuwirth’s life, co-produced by Batson and currently in theworks, will incorporate footage from a posthumous 2022 tribute concert that featured covers of his songs by EricClapton, T Bone Burnett, Maria Muldaur, the late Happy Traum, and many others....

Bob Neuwirth Remembered by His Friends T Bone Burnett, Steven Soles and David Mansfield

The late singer-songwriter-painter has been described as indescribable. He comes into focus as the subject of short essays by three prominent musicians who played with him on Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour and in decades to follow.

By Randy Lewis

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