...and may you stay forever young.  |
| Courtesy of Indiana University - No product or service by IU is claimed or implied. |
Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan is recognized worldwide for the impact he has had on rock music since his career began in the early 1960s. For almost half a century, no American rock and roll musician has been more influential than Bob Dylan. There has been so much said and written about him that I will not attempt to reinvent the wheel, just Google his name to read more about him. For his latest doings, check out his home page here.
Inscrutable and unpredictable, Dylan has been both deified and denounced for his shifts of interest, while whole schools of musicians took up his ideas. His venture into Gospel, in particular, drew hash criticism from critics and fans alike. His lyrics — the first in rock to be seriously regarded as literature — became so well known that politicians from Jimmy Carter to Vaclav Havel have cited them as an influence.
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| Joan Baez and Bob Dylan |
His music, lyrics and yes, even his voice made a profound influence on my musical tastes and social attitudes. He inspired me in ways both personal and professional. I was an instant fan the first time I heard his voice and have remained a loyal one to this very day.
It would be easier to list the musicians who have not performed their own version of a Dylan song than those who have. CBS, in fact, in promoting his records acknowledged the proliferation of Dylan covers, writing, "Nobody sings Dylan like Dylan." The awards that Dylan has taken home include Grammys, Golden Globes and Oscars, and he even won a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize jury for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." Dylan to receive Presidential Medal.
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