Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941) is one of those legends that everybody has heard of. Described by Time's 100 Most Important People of the Century as a "master poet, caustic social critic and intrepid, guiding spirit of the counter-culture generation" he is a planet to be explored, the voice of a generation and a man who can never be matched.
An early CBS Records campaign stated that "Nobody Does Dylan Like Dylan." Bob Dylan does not have one definitive sound though; over the past five decades he has altered his music to suit himself, the situation he was facing and in order to surprise/shock the public. However there was one major theme that threaded throughout each of his records - they were to the heart of the matter and reflected life. They made people care again, when interest was fading away.
Some of Dylan's early songs became anthems for US civil rights and anti-war movement. Therefore it is not difficult to see why he struck up a friendship with The Beatles in the 60's. John Lennon was also concerned with issues and current events, his most famous piece of work 'Imagine' demonstrates the depth of his worries for the world. It could be implied that without Dylan's influence on the young Beatles, albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's would never have been created. Dylan's influence was something that the fab four often voiced, as when his second album 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' was released in 1963, George Harrison went on to state that "We just played it, just wore it out." John Lennon also commented that "For three weeks we didn't stop playing it. We went potty about Dylan."
Bob Dylan was (and still is) an important figure in the history of music for the following reasons: he paved a new direction for musicians of the future to follow, he redefined the acceptable and showed people it was okay to be different. Poetry was made cool again (which has never been an easy task to take on), Dylan was the inventor of folk-rock. He's been said to be the hardest working man in music, with his never-ending tour but most importantly he changed things for the better. In the early 1960's when freedom riders were boycotting the buses (due to segregation) it was Bob Dylan's music which was listened to, as it increased their hopes and morale at living in a society made up of peace and equality.
Bob Dylan was the man who cared, made people care and still continues to.
What is your opinion of Bob Dylan? Are you a fan of his music or has my article inspired you to check out his work? Comment below to get your voice heard.
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