“All I can do is be me, whoever that is” One of the most known quotes, which impacted numbers of
people just like his songs. Yes I am talking about one of the most influential singer-song writers of the
20th, Bob Dylan. The concept ‘Folk Rock’ reached to new height through his hand. Driven by the
influence of early rock star Elvis Presley, Little Richard he formed his own band including Golden Chords
under the pseudonym Elston Gunn. While attending university he started performing folks and country
song in local cafe.
Leaving the college midway in 1960 Dylan went to New York City in January of 1961, immediately
making a substantial impression on the folk community of Greenwich Village. Bob Dylan astonished the
world of music by plugging in an electric guitar with the folk music. For decades he continued to
producing magicas with his creation and continued meeting the expectations of his followers with
dense, enigmatic songwriting. Two of the most memorable 1960s folk songs, "Blowin' in the Wind"
(which later became a huge hit for the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary) and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."
His next album, The Times They Are A-Changin', gave him the tag to an eminent song writer the 60s
protest movement, and this reputation increased after he became involved with one of the movement's
established icons, Joan Baez, in 1963.
Dylan entertained many of his folkie fans with his recording with half-acoustic, half-electric
album Bringing It All Back Home. On July 25, 1965, he was famously appeared at the Newport Folk
Festival when he performed electrically for the first time. He also wrote the film's soundtrack, which
became a hit and included the now-classic song, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." With his commendable
voice and heart touching music Dylan brought the worlds of music and literature together as no one else
had.
In 1974, Dylan began his tour since his accident, roam nationwide tour with his longtime backup band,
the Band. An album he recorded with the Band, Planet Waves, became his first No. 1 album ever. He
continued these successes with the album Blood on the Tracks and Desire each of which hit No. 1 as
well. After separation with his wife, Sara Lowndes—the song "Sara" on Desire was Dylan's emotional but
unsuccessful attempt to win Lowndes back—Dylan again returned to his old genre, declaring in 1979
that he was a born-again Christian. Later on his Slow Train Coming was a commercial hit, and gifted
Dylan his first Grammy Award.
His notable albums during the times of 1980s nfidels (1983); the five-disc
retrospective Biograph (1985); Knocked Out Loaded (1986); and Oh Mercy (1989), which became his
best-received album in years.
Coming to recent times In 2010, he released a bootleg album called The Witmark Demos, followed by a
new boxed set entitled Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings. In addition to winning Grammy,
Academy and Golden Globe awards, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from
President Barack Obama in 2012. On October 13, 2016, the legendary singer-songwriter also received
the Nobel Prize in Literature, creating a history that first time it has been given to a musician.
When he is not making music, Dylan has showcased his talents as a visual artist. His own paintings
appeared on his own albums Self Portrait and Planet Waves. He has published six books on his paintings,
and also exhibited them around the world.
This living legend, a precious jewel of world of music still enriching us with his extraordinary imagination
and exploration and whole world is just waiting to experience some more master piece. His thriller like
The Mighty Quinn, Zig-zagged in We Bought a Zoo, cameo in Inside Llewyn Davis creates an expectation
to have some different genre of work as well in coming future.
