Bob Dyl The Voice Of A Generation

Hank Snow was a popular and important musical artist, active before 1960, who is not included in the Dalhousie University 2017 - 2018 Popular Music until 1960 course. Hank Snow’s, “country standard I’m Movin’ On, a twelve-bar blues, came out before 1960. ” In this paper I will argue that Hank Snow and his song I’m Movin’ On must be a required listening in this course as he has had historical significance, has influenced musical artists (several that are covered in this course) and most importantly he is a Nova Scotia native with a successful musical country career on an international scale. I will provide relevant background information on Hank Snow as well as proof of his importance in the areas of historical significance, musical influence

The 1960’s was an era of revolution and social change in the United States. Painters, dancers, actors, musicians and many more artists all wanted to portray societies immoral issues through their art. Musicians played a very prominent role in providing society with an outlet on the importance of this change. Within these musicians was a folk rock singer and songwriter by the name of Robert Allen Zimmerman, or as America knows him, Bob Dylan. He is known and honored around the world for his influence on popular music and culture, however, he is much more than that (Wood 313). The beginning of Bob Dylan’s career as a singer and songwriter was marked by his repetitive emphasis on social change throughout his protest songs which include “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” “Masters of War,” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’”; with each song, Dylan exposes many issues that affected, not one, but many lives as he aimed to spread social and political consciousness to society.

The prevailing ideologies that define masculinity within country music, and with even greater prominence in the “bro-country” subgenre, remains engrained within the concept of being an outdoorsman. Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’, Lovin’, Everyday,” acts as a laid back anthem to said country-man, whose song’s lyrical substance indicates that a true country boy yearns for a life within the rural setting. Luke describes “the prayer that a country boy makes” as one

The prevailing ideologies that define masculinity within country music, and with even greater prominence in the “bro-country” subgenere, remains engrained within the concept of being an outdoorsman. Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’, Lovin’, Everyday,” acts as a laid back anthem to said country-man, whose lyrical substance of the song indicates that a true country boy yearns for a life within the rural setting. Luke describes “the prayer

For generations, singers and songwriters of country music have been working to evoke emotions in listeners by performing and writing songs that the listeners will be able to relate to. Country music traditionally reveals stories of life, love, death, and values, all of which can be seen in the works of great singers and songwriters like George Strait, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson. One artist in particular, Garth Brooks, forever left his stamp on country music and on the hearts of his millions of listeners with his hit songs, “The Beaches of Cheyenne”, “Callin’ Baton Rouge”, and “The River”. “The Beaches of Cheyenne” has a storyline containing themes of life, death, love, and regret. The themes of this song branch out much

Arguably one of the most powerful of Dylan’s social issue charged song is The Death of Emmet Till, a young black man who was unrightfully killed by the Ku Klux Klan. By 1963, Dylan and his on and off lover Joan Baez were both very well known in the civil rights movement. Baez and Dylan would sing together at rallies including the famous March on Washington. Dylan was on stage with Martin Luther King Jr. when his gave his infamous I Have a Dream speech. Though Dylan sang of American injustices, he was never incredibly interested in politics and he was ultimately frustrated by people defining him solely as a protest singer. Dylan’s frustrations with the unsought political branding are expressed in It Ain’t Me Babe, which “appears to be a song about rejected love, [it] was actually his rejection of the role his reputation and fans had thrown on him” (Carlson).

One of the greatest country singers made his way to the top. He sang and sang until he couldn't sing anymore. He started from singing in a prison to singing everywhere. This paper researches the Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and musician who is today known as a huge part of traditional Americana music. Huge musicians in their own right, such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellenkamp, Pete Seeger, and many more have acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence in their creative song writing process. Many of his songs are based on his experience during the Great Depression as Guthrie travelled with displaced farmers from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma searching for a better life in California.

"Country has become a bigger umbrella. It’s good and bad. Country has become too homogenized and too commercial. It has lost what makes it special. It’s great that it’s popular, but then it starts to become watered down. Country music is the song that speaks to the American condition. It’s middle America. Eight out of 10 people. Maybe it’s not the No. 1 choice, but they listen to country. Consistency, as well. In the 1980s, it was all about rock and roll, and it died. Guns N’ Roses is still on top because their throne hasn’t been challenged."

Country music has gone through many phases of different musical styles including the honky-tonk style and more modern pop country style. More recently, mainstream country has continued to define itself through bringing all these different styles together and relying on each of them. This genre of music faces issues relating to its original classification as being “working class music”, being in opposition to homosexuality and its portrayal and absence of women. Often times I have heard people say that they prefer all genres of music, except country. Growing up I always listened to country music due to the fact that my mom and our family friends often listen to it, therefore I never understood why it unveiled such a negative reaction for most people. Oftentimes I find myself excluding my enjoyment of country music to others simply to avoid their surprised reactions. While I realize how people may be closed off to country music because of the labels that have been imposed upon it in common discourse and media, I often would like to point out that modern country music that is played on the radio today is often very different from more traditional country music played many years ago, and is not that much different from pop and rock sounds. These issues of class divide, homosexuality and the role of women must be looked upon in relation to contemporary country music, which can be considered a more relevant discussion.

“The song has to be of a certain quality for me to sing…One aspect it would have to have is that it didn’t repeat itself” (Bob Dylan). Transforming into new people throughout his life, Bob Dylan reverted to the Bible and other religious findings in his songs. Dylan is able to reveal a fulfillment from spirituality as he perceives his music as a sacred landscape. Bob Dylan brings up a theme of religion, referencing the book of Isaiah in his 1967 song “All Along the Watchtower” as he writes a story about two people at the watchtower, where the significance of life is found. Dylan’s spiritual lyrics conceived his work as a an artist through imagination and religion that creates a hallowed dwelling for him to aqurie attainment.

“A person is a success if they get up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between dose what he wants to do” --words spoken by the singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Being a man of success himself, yet a very humble and simple man, changed the way people view musical quality. Dylan was awarded with the number one song in the twentieth century with those lyrics from his masterpiece Like a Rolling Stone, by Rolling Stone Magazine. His poetic words were heard all across the world, inspiring all who heard his voice. Telling tales of political and civil injustice, Dylan’s words brought normal everyday life a new sense of hope through tough times in a person’s life. Discussed will be the early era

Bob Dylan is often considered to be one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time. He has released 36 albums, and has amassed a huge following of music lovers. His songs have ranged from poetic folk songs that discuss social issues of the 1960s, to covers of very famous songs recorded with his own stylistic twist. He was one of the first rock artists whose lyrics were considered to be on par with works of literature (1)He has also been one of the only artists, to this day, that has been able to consistently affect listeners of any generation. For over 5 decades, he has remained a dominant musician in the American recording arts and he will remain such for decades to come.

Duluth Minnesota, May 24th 1941 Robert Allen Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) was born. 69 Years and over 45 albums later Bob Dylan has completely altered the face of popular music since his debut as a fresh faced folk singer in 1962. His early career forged him into an informal chronicler and then he later developed into an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest [Gray, 2006] and became a voice for a generation. His songs have been covered by many artists in a wide span of genres and he has remained a prominent and highly influential figure in the history of popular music over the past five decades. [Gates, David, 1997]

My favourite song from Bob Dylan is “Things Have Changed”. The song appeals to me because of the lyrics. I like the lyrics “I hurt easy, I just don’t show it” and “you can hurt someone and not even know it”. This lyrics speaks to me in 2017; it tells the truth that people like to hide their scar even though they get hurt by someone, assuming that they people who hurt them do not even know it.