The Life Of Bob Dylan

Some people are born to become legends, Bruce Springsteen is one of them. From the second he was born and through his younger years everyone knew he was destined for something bigger than a regular nine to five life, they just didn’t realize the magnitude of what was to come. Born into a all around food middle-class family, no on in that house hold even Bruce, didn’t realize that within fifty years he would reach living legend status. Also have a title of one of the best musicians to every live. After working hard at what he loves, Bruce has become known as a musical hero and inspiration to his fans and fellow musicians. With his deep lyrics, amazing stage presence, incredible guitar skills, and his passion, he is an untouchable force in

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.

Bob Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. While growing up, Bob was influenced by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard. He was also in a few bands while growing up. While he was in college he began performing folk and country music at local cafes under the name Bob Dillon. In 1960, he dropped out of college and moved to New York. In New York, Bob met his idol Woody Guthrie and visited him regularly and became great friends with him. In 1961, he signed his first recording contract at Columbia Records and became one of the most original influential voices in the history of American popular music. Throughout his lifetime he 's been awarded with Grammy’s, Academy and Golden Globe awards. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Bob Dylan wrote music based on social issues, war and civil

At only 22, he was crowned the voice of a generation. His audiences became mesmerized with his expressive lyrics and soulful harmonica. He changed the way the world looks at songwriting and protest, and inspired countless future musicians from the moment he stepped up on the stage in his railroad hat, denim jacket, and harmonica brace. However, it is clear that there is so much more behind Bob Dylan than just a rough voice and a collection of poetic songs. As one man said about Dylan’s early days in Greenwich Village, “There’s a quality of determination and of will that some people have that when they’re doing something, they’re really doing it and you

While it is widely rumored that many of Bob Dylan’s songs were written while he was under the influence of various drugs, I’m not so sure that those rumors are accurate. Following a 1991 interview conducted by Paul Zollo with Bob Dylan, Zollo stated that “There’s an unmistakable elegance in Dylan’s words, an almost biblical beauty” and that “Dylan’s answers give you a lot to think about while not necessarily revealing much about the man”. (Zollo 2) The same can be said with regard to many of the lyrics of Dylan’s songs. The lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man”, for example, are wildly descriptive and sometimes confusing and can leave a listener (or a reader) open to many different interpretations, some more complex than others, with no real meaning ever being clearly stated.

Born in Minnesota in 1941, Bob Dylan, then Robert Allen Zimmerman, befriended those less fortunate than him as a child. Through his childhood friends Dylan learned a

     Bob Dylan’s song, The Hurricane, brings to surface several of the themes covered in class this semester. The song explores general themes like community and responsibility, while also focusing on many of the sub-themes, such as justice and injustice, appearance and reality, and loyalty and abandonment. Throughout the song, the main characters constantly battle with the above themes in attempt to frame an innocent man. While the song brings up many of these themes, Dylan’s characters show little consistency with the texts covered, as the texts tend to try to find reconciliation in the characters, while Dylan’s characters feel no remorse in their actions.

While many artists can reach the level of musical icons during their recording time, a few continue to remain relevant after they have died, and even fewer can touch peoples hearts and souls with as much power today as when they were alive, Bob Marley is one such artist. As Robert Palmer wrote for Marley’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “ No one in rock and roll has left a musical legacy that matters more or one that matters in such fundamental ways.” A few years ago while I was at a fast food restaurant, there were two women behind the counter, one younger and one older. While waiting for my order I overheard the younger woman confiding in the older woman about some life issues that she was going through at the time.

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.

Not very many songs compare to Bob Dylan's timeless "Like A Rolling Stone". He explores areas that most conventional lyricists and composers do not touch. Bob tells us many of life's lessons in a mere six minutes and nine seconds. The divine Bob describes life before and after the fall from fame and fortune by telling the stories of multiple persons, speaking to them in conversation. The theme of this song is loss, whether is it loss of social status, money, or trust for humanity.

First, let’s see how Bob Dylan impact our culture. A main reason Dylan’s music was so influential was because of the time that had his big break. The things that he was singing about in his lyrics were extremely relevant to the major events happening not only in America, but around the world at that time, and people were able to relate to his lyrics. Jim Crowe laws were being abolished during the civil rights movement, communism was coming to end in eastern Europe, and so many other things were happening around the world. But the thing that made Bob Dylan so influential on our culture was the fact that he was involved in these events, not only as a person through protests, but as a musician through his lyrics. He galvanized powerful movements for social justice and peace though the power of his music and fame. As Dylan’s career continued he expanded his music and made major contributions to the world of music. Many of his songs are folk songs, or renditions of folksy songs, in a bluesy tone with a raspy voice. He was unforgettable because of his new innovative sound, but he took it a step further than that when he performed on an electric guitar for the first time at a concert in 1965. People booed him off the stage during that concert, but the very next album that he released featured songs with his raspy voice mixed with the electric sound. He introduced a sound that was foreign to rock and roll music and continued to reinvent himself, and music, from that point

“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.

To understand the sixties counterculture, we must understand the important role of Bob Dylan. His lyrics fueled the rebellious youth in America. Songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times are A-Changin” made him favorable to anti-war demonstrators and supporters of the Civil Rights movement. He was commonly hailed as the spokesman for his generation. Dylan used lyrics to allow the youth to find their own form of counter-culture. The youth generation began to see the effects racism, war, etc. effect the society in America. To combat this, the youth created their own form of counter-culture to promote a peaceful change within society. Some of their actions include forming anti-war protests that opposed America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and supporting African Americans/women get the rights they deserve through the Civil Rights Movement. Bob Dylan’s music appealed to the young generation because he openly expresses his disapproval of the establishment in order to influenced his audience to move in a direction for change. Counterculture youth rejected cultural norms of the previous generation and their values and lifestyles opposed the mainstream culture present in the 1950’s. The folk music revival of the early 1960s, as well as the counter-culture movement played an important role in advocating change. Bob Dylan wrote songs that influenced the Civil Rights Movement, New Left Movement, and Anti-War Movement.

Bob Dylan is known to be one of the most influential artist during the American Folk Music. He change the way of music, especially for the American Folk Music Revival. Bob was born on May 24, 1941. His parents are Abram and Beatrice Zimmerman. His real name is Robert Zimmerman. He picked up the name Bob Dylan when he began singing in Greenwich Village. His songs are still played today, especially “Blowin in The Wind.” Bob was influenced by other artists before he became famous. His influences were Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley. Also the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie. Woody was hospitalized and Bob would visit him regulary. That same Bob dropped out of college.

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]