Where Bob Dylan Met the Beatles

The Beatles at a press conference held in their suite at the Plaza hotel, in New York, 1964.

From the Savoy in London to an airport hotel in Queens, the little-known story of the rooms where the musical giants forged a surprisingly close bond

By Jim Windolf

Bob Dylan and the Beatles were closer than even their most ardent fans may realize. The relationship between the American folk singer and the chart-topping English band formed and flourished well out of public view, in the sanctuary-like suites of (mostly) luxury hotels. Herewith, a guide to the places where they talked, laughed, drank, smoked, and shared advance recordings of their landmark albums.

The Delmonico Hotel, New York

A suite on the sixth floor of this 32-story hotel was the site of the first and best-known Dylan-Beatles encounter. It started one night in 1964 and ended at dawn.

The man who arranged it was Al Aronowitz, a journalist in Dylan’s circle who had written two insightful stories on the Beatles for READ ON