LONDON.- Christie’s announces the sale of important, unreleased lyrics by Bob Dylan which will be offered in the Pop Culture sale on 26 June 2013. The ‘Bomb’ song, Go Away you Bomb, was written for an unpublished book of anti-nuclear protest songs in 1963 when Dylan was working on his seminal album The Freewheelin Bob Dylan. The lyrics were never released and have never before been seen on the market. They include handwritten deletions and alterations, providing invaluable insight into the mindset of the great artist as he composed. The lyrics are being sold by Israel ‘Izzy’ Young, founder of the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village, New York, who organized Bob Dylan’s first ever concert. The lyrics are estimated to realise between £25,000 and £35,000 and proceeds will benefit the Folklore Center in Stockholm.

Nicolette Tomkinson, Director, Christie’s: “We are delighted to be involved with the sale of these historically important lyrics. This „Bomb‟ song was written by Dylan in 1963, during the time when he was recording his album „The Freewheelin‟ Bob Dylan‟, the album which propelled him into international stardom and first showcased his songwriting talent. His compositions during this era were his most political and led to Dylan being referred to as the „Spokesman Of A Generation‟. This unreleased song, written against the background of the threat of nuclear warfare, is not only a beautiful example of Dylan‟s songwriting, representing his political protest activities during that era but is also a potent symbol of the anxieties of the American public in the early 1960s.”

Dylan wrote about Izzy Young in his 1962 song Talking Folklore Center. In the song he stresses the importance of the center as a place where musicians and songwriters could get together to share their inspirations and experiences. After Dylan asked Izzy to listen to some of his music, he was so convinced of his talents that he organized Dylan’s first concert at the Carnegie Center New York in 1961.

Israel ‘Izzy’ Young: “I was compiling a book of songs against the atom bomb and asked Dylan to contribute; he gave me this song the very next day. I have never sold anything important to me until now and the funds raised will help to keep the Folklore Center in Stockholm going. I have always had a passion for folk music and I have collected books and music since I was a kid. I produced my first catalogue of folk books in 1955, comprised of books that nobody had ever heard of – this was the beginning of the interest in American folk music. Bob Dylan used to hang around the store and would look through every single book and listen to every single record I had. Since opening the Folklore center I have organised over 700 concerts with some of the biggest names in this music world. I‟m a fun-loving Jewish boy who loves folk music and never gave up – that‟s why I‟m still alive.”