Robert Allen Zimmerman was born May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He is the son of Beatrice and Abraham Zimmerman and has a brother of five years younger named David. He is now known as Bob Dylan, the incredibly famous Rock musician who influenced the music world with his lyrics. Dylan changed his name in honor of a well-known Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. Bob Dylan wrote stories and turned them into songs. He made up fantasies that portrayed something about himself in a more elaborate way.
No one can really explain why Bob Dylan became so loved and popular in the rock music world. Dave Marsh described Dylan's voice as "nasal and nasty, raw as barbed wire." Dylan's talent playing the guitar, harmonica and keyboard are not that impressive, either. He just had heart, energy and passion for music, and that showed when he performed on stage. Dylan wrote all his own songs. He became known as "Rock's Greatest Poet." The quality of some of his songs set new standards for pop music. Some of those songs are "Mr. Tambourine Man," "My Back Pages," "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," "Like a Rolling Stone," "Visions of Johanna," and "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." His lyrics reached out to his listeners. They could relate to his lyrics and stories. People did not pay attention to the instruments, they read into the lyrics. Bob Dylan is a legend.
In 1997, Dylan was honored for lifetime achievement by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. When Bruce Springsteen began recording, he was referred to as the "new Dylan." Jack Feeny says, "I think, even more so than the Beatles, Bob Dylan single-handedly radically changed popular music." Dylan's way to fame was not sudden. He worked for it and after a few years of rising to the top, he became known as one of the most respected, innovative, and imitated singer-songwriters in this world.
