Bob Dylan Influences

Born on February 6th, 1945 in St. Ann Parish Jamaica, his original name was Nesta Robert Marley. As a mixed child with no siblings, childhood wasn’t the easiest for Bob. Growing up poor & being teased for having a “girl name” probably had something to do with it. Bob being a very talented kid had many different hobbies. From

Bob Marley is a name most people know but his accomplishments and dedication to music is often overlooked. Bob was more than just a reggae artist, he was an inspiration to the country of Jamaica. He was a role model to the poverty stricken island and gave hope to many people. Bob was born on February 6, 1945 in his grandfather's house. He was the son of a poor farm girl and a British naval Captain. Soon after his birth Bob's father, Norval Marley, left his mother. He remained responsible and provided financial support and occasionally came back to see them. In the 50's a depression hit Jamaica and Bob followed his mother to West Kingston also known as Trenchtown. It was in Trenchtown were Bob's love for music began.

This song was influenced by Bob Dylan’s “Blowing In The Wind” and gave a visual representation of the discrimination that African-American face even at public places like movie theaters. Civil rights supporters sang this song with tears in their eyes and hope in their heart that the prejudice against African-Americans will end.

The Monkees(Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones)were famous for their music, inspiration, bonds, television shows, and friendship. The Monkees inspired many songs and bands by becoming a well know band throughout America. The Monkees inspired solo artist and real person television shows. The Monkees made several famous pieces throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Monkees made millions in their prime and millions after their prime. The members of the group were American and British. The Monkees met up in Los Angeles, California. Although the Monkees didn’t know each other at first, they became great friends for life. The Monkees regrouped and disbanded several times. The Monkees were an inspiring and motivating group for music. The Monkees were well know for music and friendship.

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).

Louis Armstrong was an important and major music figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Mr. Armstrong, also known as Satchmo to his friends for his “satchel-like mouth”, came into existence August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Louis’ love for music had started in the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys. He had ended up in this environment because on New Year’s Eve, Louis had shot his stepfathers gun into the air to “celebrate the new year” and was arrested immediately. In the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys, Louis had newfound love for the cornet, an instrument similar to the trumpet. Even though he had a job as a newspaper seller, Louis still had the opportunity of studying under one of the greatest cornet players of the time, King Oliver.

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.

Just as the sports industry rose, the music industry rose with it. Many lyricists, such as Bob Dylan helped it rise. Born on the day of May 24th, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan was the descendant of Abram Zimmerman and Beatty Zimmerman. Born with the name of Robert Allen Zimmerman, he learned how to play instruments such as the guitar, and performed in plenty of high school bands. Later on, Zimmerman changed his name to Bob Dylan while he was still in the University of Minnesota. But a while later, he dropped out and traveled to New York to visit one of his idols who was injured. Meanwhile, he also got his 1st record from Columbia Records. Even though his voice was not the best, he was a great lyricist. Dylan has been married 2 times, with Carolyn Dennis and Sara Dylan ; he divorced from both of them. Bob Dylan has recorded 35 albums throughout his music career.

His influence on music is still noticed today. He was rated as one of the most promising country artist and the most promising artist (“Cash, Johnny” 2). His music is one of a kind. He was an influential country artist, but also a rock n roll singer (Gill 1). He acted like he did not know music genres (Corliss 2). He was the first artist to combine rock n roll with country (Conniff 1). Even though he is one of the most known country singers, and also one of the creators of rock and roll (DeCurtis “Johnny Cash” 1). He is one of the two people ever elected to both the country and rock and roll hall of fame (DeCurtis “Johnny Cash” 1). His unknown music genre shows artists they do not have to stick to one genre throughout their whole career. He also had a huge

Instead of the cheerful, youthful, puppy love, dance style music associated with the Beatles, they released “I'm a Loser” off Beatles for Sale in 64, a folk inspired song about romantic rejection. Also “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away” off Help!, played on acoustic guitar and “Norwegian Wood” off Rubber Soul are heavily influenced by Bob Dylan. These songs are written more introspective, using acoustic guitar, and shows a darker and less naive thematic, that can hardly be danced to, all credited to Lennon in his “Dylan face” …..There are some evidence supporting that the Beatles had an influence on Bob as well, even though Dylan has been less candidly about openly admiring the group. It`s said that after the meeting in with the Beatles in 64, that it was them who inspired Dylan to

Sam Cooke wrote the song, "A Change Is Gonna Come," in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, which took place in between 1954 and 1968; his song is in support of the Civil Rights movement. According to a New Yorker article, Sam Cooke has always been a strong proponent of the Civil Rights Movement, and when he heard the song “Blowin’ in the Wind," written by Bob Dylan, a Caucasian songwriter, he was inspired to write something similar to it to support the Civil Rights movement. This protest song is a fairly optimistic song emphasizing that a change is going come, but determination is needed in order for the Civil Rights movement to succeed. Like many other African Americans during period, Cooke’s life was not easy. He was also facing many discriminations and having a hard time dealing with all the other problems in his life. However, despite all the difficulties that Cooke encountered, he remained optimistic and hopeful.

College may be one of the most important things in someone’s life. College is really the last step that someone takes on the long path to adulthood, but music in my opinion is what makes the world go round. Whether it’s classical or modern, the world would be deathly silent if it weren’t for music. Many people also tend to be inspired by their favorite musicians, either in their actions or the words they speak, we always try to be just like our favorite musician. Which in my opinion the most influential musician is John Lennon.

The Mumford & Sons is a London band that has helped bring popularity to folk, roots, bluegrass and rock genre. The foursome of this band includes singer/guitarist/drummer Marcus Mumford, vocalist and banjo/Dobro player Winston Marshall, vocalist/keyboardist Ben Lovett, and vocalist/bassist Ted Dwane, these gentlemen started in 2007.

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]

Some teenagers choose to blast the iTunes’ Top 50 pop songs while studying for their upcoming biology test, while others prefer a more mellow Mozart sonata to help them get through the stressful hours of homework. With the numerous music genres present in modern society, teenagers are given an area of self-expression through their music tastes. However, is the music that expresses your personality really helping you to express good grades?