Bob Dylan – Stage Names Origins

Unlike a lot of artists, who already have their stage names in place before their careers officially began, "Bob Dylan" actually came about after Robert Zimmerman had begun performing.

After playing coffee houses in the Dinkytown folk music circuit in the late '50s, the future legend began introducing himself as Bob Dylan.

In his autobiography, the singer says it was the poetry of Dylan Thomas that inspired the name change. In a 2004 interview on '60 Minutes,' the singer would explain, "Some people -- 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."