His biting, imagistic and cryptic lyrics defined the mood of a generation. An uncontested poet laureate of the rock and roll era, he is the pre-eminent songwriter of modern times.
From folk, blues and country to gospel and rockabilly, no artist has mastered as many genres of music as the Tambourine Man.
He has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Childhood
Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Minnesota. Dylan taught himself to play the piano and guitar and formed several rock bands while at high school.
While attending the University of Minnesota, he began performing folk and country songs at local cafés, taking the name “Bob Dylan,” after the late poet Dylan Thomas.
Career
Dylan moved to New York in 1960 and performed in Greenwich Village folk clubs, and spent much time in the hospital room of his hero Woody Guthrie.
Late in 1961 Columbia Records signed him and the following year released his first album, containing two original songs. Dylan’s songs were closely linked to the 1960s protest movements. The 1963 release of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” began to mark Dylan out as an original and very special talent.
He became tired of being type-cast into the role of folk-singer of the protest movement and, in 1964; he released the album ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan’, which was a less politically motivated and far more introspective album.
In 1965, Dylan scandalized many of his folkie fans by recording the half-acoustic, half-electric album “Bringing It All Back Home”, backed by a nine-piece band. The albums that followed, “Highway 61 Revisited (1965”) — represented Dylan at his most innovative.
Following a near-fatal motorcycle accident in July 1966, Dylan spent almost a year recovering in seclusion. In 1974, Dylan began his first full-scale tour since his accident, embarking on a sold-out nationwide tour with his longtime backup band.
Dylan’s 1997 album “Time Out of Mind”, won him 3 Grammy awards.
He continued his vigorous touring schedule, including a memorable performance in 1997 for Pope John Paul II.
The end of the century found Dylan still touring, creating new songs for new generations.
Personal Life
Dylan and Sara Lowndes, who married in 1965 and divorced in 1977, had four children together: Jesse, Anna, Samuel and Jakob.
Dylan also adopted Lowndes’s daughter, Maria, from a previous marriage.
In 1979, Dylan declared himself a born-again Christian. Dylan gave his first full interview in 20 years for a documentary released in 2005. He is also a painter.