Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24 1941 is an American singersongwriter poet and painter He has been a major figure in music for five decades Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest Though he is wellknown for revolutionizing perceptions of the limits of popular music in 1965 with the sixminute single Like a Rolling Stone a number of his earlier songs such as Blowin in the Wind and The Times They Are aChangin became anthems for the US civil rights and antiwar movements His early lyrics incorporated a variety of political social and philosophical as well as literary influences They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning counterculture Initially inspired by the songs of Woody Guthrie Robert Johnson Hank Williams and the performance styles of Buddy Holly and Little Richard Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical genres exploring numerous distinct traditions in American songfrom folk blues and country to gospel rock and roll and rockabilly to English Scottish and Irish folk music embracing even jazz and swing Dylan performs with guitar keyboards and harmonica Backed by a changing lineup of musicians he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career but his greatest contribution is generally considered to be his songwriting Since 1994 Dylan has published three books of drawings and paintings and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries As a songwriter and musician Dylan has received numerous awards over the years including Grammy Golden Globe and Academy Awards he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame In 2008 a road called the Bob Dylan Pathway was opened in the singers honor in his birthplace of Duluth Minnesota The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for his profound impact on popular music and American culture marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power Description above from the Wikipedia article Bob Dylan licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia