previous            A–Z            next        Robert Alan Zimmerman Pseudonym:        Bob Dylan Robert Alan Zimmerman (1941), the rock musician, poet, and composer, allegedly chose his new name in homage to the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, officially adopting it on August 9, 1962.        In his autobiography, Dylan acknowledged that he had been influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas. Explaining his change of name in a 2004 interview, Dylan remarked: ‘You’re born, you know, the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.’ Sources: Room, A. (1981), ‘Name Stories’, Naming Names, p.94 ‘Dylan Thomas’, Wikipedia, retrieved 11 October 2013 previous            A–Z            next