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Sara Lownds (born Shirley Marlin Noznisky) was the first wife of musician Bob Dylan. She was the muse of several of Dylan's songs and for the album Blood on the Tracks.

She was born Shirley Noznisky but changed her name to Sara. She is often described as having been a model, and was photographed as a Playboy bunny, but there is little hard evidence of her early 1960s career. She married Hans Lownds, a magazine photographer. The two had a daughter, Maria, in 1961 (or 1962). They divorced soon after. Lownds first met Dylan through their mutual friend Sally Grossman in 1964. They were married on November 22, 1965. Dylan adopted Maria (at some point). The couple divorced in July 1977, though they reportedly remained in regular contact, for many years and, by some accounts, even to the present day.

Lownds has acted as the muse for several of Dylan's songs, at least two directly. The first was "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (from Blonde on Blonde), and the second the eponymous "Sara" (from 1976's Desire). This song was a deeply emotional attempt to reconcile with Lownds after their estrangement around 1975:

I can still hear the sound of the Methodist bells

I had taken the cure and had just gotten through

staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel

writing Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands for you

The 1975 album Blood On The Tracks could be seen as the most potent of her inspirations, as nearly every track encompasses their relationship in some way. It was recorded soon after their initial separation.

Lownds is often incorrectly identified as "Sara Lowndes"; the error apparently comes from a long-debunked but often-repeated report that her first husband was one-time Playboy executive Victor Lowndes.

External links

• Bob Dylan Who's Who