Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter from Duluth, United States, born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941. He is one of the most influential songwriters in popular music and has a career that spans more than six decades. His work is associated with folk, folk rock, rock, blues, blues rock, contemporary folk, country and country rock.

Early career and breakthrough

Dylan moves to New York City in 1961 to pursue music. His self-titled debut album appears in 1962 and draws on traditional folk and blues material. He gains wider recognition with The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963, which includes songs such as “Girl from the North Country” and “A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall”. Around this period, “Blowin' in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin'” become closely associated with the civil rights and antiwar movements.

Electric period and 1960s work

In 1965 and 1966, Dylan begins using electric rock instrumentation on Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. The single “Like a Rolling Stone” also appears in 1965 and is widely noted for expanding the commercial and artistic possibilities of popular music.

Following a motorcycle accident in 1966, he stops touring for seven years. During that period, he records many songs with members of the Band, later issued as The Basement Tapes in 1975.

Later albums and continuing work

Dylan explores country music and rural themes on albums including John Wesley Harding in 1967, Nashville Skyline in 1969 and New Morning in 1970. He receives critical acclaim for Blood on the Tracks in 1975 and Time Out of Mind in 1997, which wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. He continues to release music, with studio albums including Love and Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006), Together Through Life (2009), Christmas in the Heart (2009), Tempest (2012), Shadows in the Night (2015), Fallen Angels (2016), Triplicate (2017), Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) and Shadow Kingdom (2023).

Other work and recognition

Since 1994, Dylan publishes ten books of paintings and drawings, and his visual art is exhibited in major galleries. His life is depicted in film, including A Complete Unknown (2024). His honours include an Academy Award, ten Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors in 1997, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a Pulitzer Prize special citation in 2008, and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for creating new poetic expressions within the American song tradition.

Associated acts and labels

He is associated with the Golden Chords and the Traveling Wilburys. His labels include Dwarf Music, Big Sky Music, Egyptian Records, Ram’s Horn Music, Special Rider Music and CBS Records Inc.