"This here ain't no protest song or anything like that, 'cause I don't write no protest songs," said a 21-year-old Bob Dylan before singing the two verses he had written for "Blowin' in the Wind" for the first time at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village on April 19, 1962 -- hours after writing it.

Earlier in the day, Dylan wrote "Blowin' in the Wind" in 10 minutes at the Gaslight Cafe, using a melody pulled from the traditional African American spiritual song, "No More Auction Block For Me." First popularized by Odetta in 1960, Dylan later released his live version of the traditional from 1962 titled "No More Auction Block," on his 1991 compilation The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3.

Dylan published "Blowin' in the Wind" shortly after recording it and continued playing it live until he finally released it on his second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. His folk ballad went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was quickly covered by a line of artists from Peter, Paul & Mary -- who later performed it with Dylan at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival -- Jackie DeShannon, The Staple Sisters, Bobby Darin, Lena Horne, Odetta, and more in '63, alone.

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As soon as "Blowin' in the Wind" ignited, Dylan was also hit by rumors that he wasn't its original author. A 1963 article in Newsweek insinuated that Dylan stole the lyrics from a high school student in New Jersey. "He is a complicated young man, surrounded now by complicated rumors," read the article referencing Dylan, before elaborating on the rumor that he may have plagiarized his hit and bought the lyrics from a high school student in New Jersey.

"There is even a rumor circulating that Dylan did not write 'Blowin' In The Wind,' that it was written by a Millburn (NJ) High student named Lorre Wyatt, who sold it to the singer," the story continued. "Dylan says he did write the song and Wyatt denies authorship, but several Millburn students claim they heard the song from Wyatt before Dylan ever sang it."

Wyatt also claimed that he sold "Blowin' in the Wind" to Dylan for $1,000. At the time, Dylan and Wyatt's paths may have crossed in the early '60s. Just five days after arriving in New York in 1961, Dylan began visiting his folk hero Woody Guthrie who was being treated for Huntington's disease at Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey where Wyatt also worked as a volunteer.

In 1974, Wyatt finally admitted that he pulled the song from a 1962 article on Dylan in the folk magazine Sing Out! which included the lyrics to "Blowin' in the Wind." Initially, Wyatt falsely claimed the song was his own to ace an audition with the high school singing group. For months, Wyatt was performing it around the school before the release of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, and his lie quickly got out of hand.

"The printed words kept looking better and better, and I couldn't resist trying to piece the tune together," admitted Wyatt, who was also attempting to add his own lyrics to "Blowin' in the Wind" at one point.

He added, "In my pocket were two sets of words -- the original and the song I had hoped would grow out of it. My mind seesawed nervously back and forth between them. Mine wasn't finished and that song was so good. Maybe I could sing it and not say anything and they'd think I wrote it and be impressed. If they said, 'Let's sing that some time' that'd be OK. I'd finish my song by then, and they probably wouldn't remember the original."

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Dylan never addressed the allegations of plagiarism, but later alluded to it on the closing track of his third album The Times They Are a-Changin', "Restless Farewell."

Oh, a false clock tries to tick out my time

To disgrace, distract, and bother me

And the dirt of gossip blows into my face

And the dust of rumors covers me

By the end of the song, Dylan vows I'll make my stand / And remain as I am / And bid farewell and not give a damn.

"Blowin' in the Wind" became Dylan's most-covered song with nearly 500 renditions, including versions by Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Marianne Faithfull, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, the Hollies, Cher, Etta James, and many more.

Dylan has continued performing "Blowin' in the Wind" live through his Never Ending Tour in 2019.

Photo: Bob Dylan at Newport Folk Festival, July 28, 1963. (John Byrne Cooke Estate/Getty Images)