In 1965, Bob Dylan released a six-minute song that helped redefine what rock ‘n’ roll could be. Two years later, that same song would help inspire the name of a publication that transformed how the world wrote about music.
On Nov. 9, 1967, the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine was dated for publication, marking the beginning of what would become one of the most influential publications in popular culture. According to a 50th anniversary retrospective on the magazine, it was founded in San Francisco by 21-year-old Jann Wenner and veteran music critic Ralph J. Gleason, the magazine set out to cover not just rock music, but the cultural and political changes happening around it.
The inaugural issue featured John Lennon on the cover, wearing his military costume from the 1967 film How I Won the War. It cost just 25 cents and was printed in a tabloid-style newspaper format, a far cry from the glossy magazine that would eventually become a fixture of American pop culture.
But the inspiration behind its name had roots in one of Dylan’s most celebrated recordings.
How Bob Dylan Helped Inspire the Name ‘Rolling Stone’
Dylan released “Like a Rolling Stone” in July 1965, and the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. At more than six minutes long, it challenged conventional expectations for radio-friendly singles and became one of the defining recordings of the decade.
When Wenner and Gleason launched their new publication two years later, they drew inspiration from Dylan’s song, along with the Rolling Stones and blues legend Muddy Waters.
In the inaugural issue, Wenner explained the origins of the name, beginning with the familiar proverb about a rolling stone gathering no moss.
“Muddy Waters used the name for a song he wrote. The Rolling Stones took their name from Muddy’s song. Like a Rolling Stone was the title of Bob Dylan’s first rock and roll record,” he wrote.
The name reflected the magazine’s ambitions to capture a rapidly changing musical landscape, one in which rock ‘n’ roll was becoming increasingly intertwined with politics, social movements and youth culture.
“We have begun a new publication reflecting what we see are the changes in rock and roll and the changes related to rock and roll,” Wenner explained in that first issue.
The publication’s mission went beyond reviewing records and interviewing musicians. As Wenner put it, Rolling Stone was “not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces.”
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How ‘Rolling Stone’ Became a Cultural Institution
Wenner had borrowed approximately $7,500 from family members and his future in-laws to get the magazine off the ground. The first issue, which actually went on sale in October 1967 despite its Nov. 9 cover date, featured coverage of the Monterey International Pop Festival, which had taken place earlier that year.
The magazine quickly established itself as an important voice in rock journalism, publishing in-depth interviews, album reviews and reporting that treated popular music as a serious cultural force.
During the 1970s, Rolling Stone became a launching pad for some of the most recognizable names in American journalism. Hunter S. Thompson brought his distinctive gonzo style to its pages, while writers including Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, Ben Fong-Torres and Patti Smith contributed to its growing reputation.
The publication also became known for its photography. Annie Leibovitz began working with Rolling Stone in 1970 and became its chief photographer in 1973, eventually shooting more than 140 covers.
One of her most famous images appeared on the magazine’s January 1981 cover, featuring Lennon curled up beside Yoko Ono. The photograph was taken just hours before the former Beatle was murdered in December 1980.
By then, Rolling Stone had become much more than a music magazine. Its coverage extended into politics, film, television and broader American culture, while its covers became coveted milestones for musicians and entertainers.
The magazine moved its headquarters from San Francisco to New York City in 1977 and continued evolving over the following decades. In 2018, it shifted from a biweekly publication to a monthly schedule, and today it remains part of Penske Media Corporation.
Nearly six decades after its founding, Rolling Stone continues covering music and popular culture, carrying a name inspired in part by a song Dylan released when he was just 24 years old.
And while “Like a Rolling Stone” never reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, its influence extended far beyond the charts, helping give a name to a publication that would document generations of rock ‘n’ roll history.
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