Al Aronowitz
Alfred Gilbert Aronowitz (May 20, 1928 – August 1, 2005) was an American rock journalist best known for introducing Bob Dylan to The Beatles in 1964.
Aronowitz was born in Bordentown, New Jersey.[1] A 1950 graduate of Rutgers University, Aronowitz became a journalist in the 1950s and his work in that decade included a 12-part series on the Beat Generation for the New York Post.[1]
Aronowitz was the original manager of The Velvet Underground, getting the band their first gig at a high school auditorium. The Velvet Underground stole Aronowitz's tape recorder and dumped him weeks later when they met Andy Warhol.
Aronowitz introduced Bob Dylan to the Beatles in a New York City hotel room on August 28, 1964. According to his own journal entries, at this meeting he brought a marijuana joint which would be the first pot smoked by the Beatles.[1]
Aronowitz also claimed that Dylan wrote the song “Mr. Tambourine Man” while staying in Aronowitz’s Berkeley Heights, New Jersey home.[2]
He died of cancer in Elizabeth, New Jersey on August 1, 2005, at the age of 77.[1] Aronowitz's son Myles is a photographer, often credited as the still photographer on feature film productions.[3][4]
Aronowitz's daughter, Brett, is a graphic designer, writer and illustrator.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Sisario, Ben. "Al Aronowitz, 77, a Pioneer Of Rock 'n' Roll Journalism", The New York Times, August 4, 2005. Accessed February 27, 2011.
- ↑ Miller, Stephen. "Al Aronowitz, 77, a Writer Of 1960s Scene", The New York Sun, August 4, 2005. "Aronowitz claimed that Mr. Dylan composed "Mr. Tambourine Man" during a long night of repeated listenings to Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness" at Aronowitz's home in Berkeley Heights, N.J."
- ↑ Myles Aronowitz Photography
- ↑ IMDB
- ↑ Brett Aronowitz
External links
- The Blacklisted Journalist
- CNN obituary
- "The Go-Between" by Mike Miliard, The Boston Phoenix, December 3, 2004
- "The Rock Journalist At a High Point In Music History" by David Segal, Washington Post, August 3, 2005
- Al Aronowitz on the Poets' Corner.
- "The Man Who Invented The Sixties" by Gary Pig Gold, Cosmik Debris, October, 2004