- Born
- Diamond Dave Whitaker was born on November 12, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Pigs Will Fly (2002), Quiet Desperation (2010) and Who Is Vermin Supreme? An Outsider Odyssey (2014). He was previously married to Gretel Hoffman.
- SpouseGretel Hoffman(June 1960 - November 1963) (divorced)
- Is mentioned by Bob Dylan in his memoir 'Chronicles Vol. I': "I had to find out who Woody Guthrie was. It didn't take me long. Dave Whittaker, one of the Svengali-type Beats on the scene, happened to have Woody's autobiography, Bound for Glory, and he lent it to me. I went through it from cover to cover like a hurricane, totally focused on every word, and the book sang out to me like the radio.".
- In 1961, Whitaker met a University of Minnesota freshman named Robert Zimmerman, who was wrestling with his life's purpose. He introduced young Zimmerman to the folk music of Woody Guthrie, and gave Zimmerman a copy of Guthrie's autobiography "Bound for Glory," a book about riding freight trains and playing the guitar on picket lines. Zimmerman decided to hitchhike to New York City to track down Guthrie and to become a folk singer himself. Along the way, Zimmerman changed his name to Bob Dylan. A few weeks later, Dylan sent Whitaker a postcard that read: "Dear Dave, I met Woody, He likes my stuff. -Bob.".
- Legendary San Francisco Beat Poet, radio host, and activist.
- Attended high school with Bonnie Beecher.
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