#ThrowbackThursday: Remembering Rubin “Hurricane” Carter

by Sean Smith

Former boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was wrongfully convicted of a triple-murder and spent 19 years in prison, died in his home in Toronto on Sunday after a long fight with prostate cancer. Carter was 76 years old.

Many already know of Carter’s life story thanks in part to the 1999 film The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington. Washington played the role of “Hurricane” Carter in the film which earned him an Academy Award nomination for “Best Actor” in 2000. But some 20 years before Denzel’s film brought Carter’s story to the masses, Bob Dylan lent his celebrity to raise awareness to the Boxer’s situation.

In 1966 Carter was tried and convicted in the murders of three people in Paterson, New Jersey. That verdict was eventually overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct, but he was convicted again in a 1976 retrial. That conviction was also eventually overturned on the same basis, clearing the boxer’s name. Bob Dylan became active in Carter’s defense after Carter sent Dylan a copy of his 1974 autobiography The Sixteenth Round: From Number One Contender to #45472 which he wrote in jail. Shortly thereafter Dylan visited with Carter in prison and was compelled to do his part to raise public awareness around what he saw as the false imprisonment of Carter. He, along with producer Jacques Levy, wrote a protest song nearly eight and half minutes in length telling Carter’s story called “Hurricane.” The song was included on Dylan’s 1976 album Desire and was released as a single. “Hurricane” would reach a moderate level of success breaking into the Top 40 and peaking at #33 on the Billboard charts. But Dylan did much more to raise awareness for Carter’s plight than record “Hurricane.” He also organized two benefit concerts to help raise money for Carter’s appeals. The first was held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and the second at Houston’s Astrodome. The NYC concert featured Bob Dylan and Roberta Flack among others, and raised $100,000. The Houston concert featured Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and Ringo Starr, but after paying expenses for the show, the concert failed to raise any money for Carter’s cause.

So in light of the passing of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter this past Sunday, this week we remember “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan. Enjoy!

Bob Dylan 

“Hurricane”

Columbia Records