A musical expeditionary: Bob Dylan

Aman Kanth Robert Allen Zimmerman (24 May, 1941) – eminently known as Bob Dylan is a highly celebrated American singer, poet, songwriter and painter; a cult figure in popular music whose opus spans over five decades. Dylan is undoubtedly one of the leading figures of twentieth century, who is hailed as an intrepid critic of the counterculture era. A young Dylan who modelled himself on Woody Gutherie and Robert Johnson, his lyrics have intellectual values that are infused with rhyme and classical literature. Dylan’s compositions are essentially styled on blues, country, folk, gospel, modernism, beat poetry, symbolism, dadaism and surrealism, thereby making it a colossal oeuvre. An accomplished musician, Dylan is credited with 33 studio albums, 13 live albums, 14 compilation albums, 58 singles and 6 collaborations. He undoubtedly has enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. Some of the notable songs of Bob Dylan include ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ ‘Desolation Row,’ ‘Dignity,’ ‘John Brown,’ ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ ‘Knocki’n on Heaven’s Door,’ ‘Shooting Star,’ ‘Rainy Day Women’, ‘Tombstone Blues,’ ‘With God on Our Side’ and ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ to name a few. Renowned as the spearhead of American unrest with songs like ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind,’ Dylan became the champion of civil rights movement and put up a strong resistance against the Vietnam War. Irrefutably, Dylan is one of those rare breeds of musicians, who are well aware of their role in the culture thereby incorporating philosophical, social and political undertones in their craft – defying popular convention of pop music and addressing vital issues germane to counterculture. With a vitalizing musical approach that amalgamates copious styles, Dylan’s fame primarily rests on American folk music. Explaining his love for folk, Dylan in an interview once said, “ The thing about rock-n-roll is that for me anyway it wasn`t enough ... There were great catch-phrases and driving pulse rhythms ... but the songs weren`t serious or didn`t reflect life in a realistic way. I knew that when I got into folk music, it was more of a serious type of thing. The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings.” Dylan’s gruff vocals and rough edge nasal singing had an uncanny and charismatic effect on listeners. With lyrics infused with imagism and stream-of-consciousness, Dylan’s verses reflected the very modern movement. As a conscious artist, Dylan’s songs mirror sweeping views on contemporary issues such as the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers in ‘Only a Pawn in their Game,’ collapse of farming and mining masses in ‘Ballad of Hollis Brown’ and ‘North Country Blues’ and the death of black maid Hattie Carroll by while William Zantzinger in ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.’ Indeed, Dylan championed the rights of humanity with his meaningful lyrics and its take on societal issues. A musical prodigy, Dylan has been associated with numerous bands like The Band, Grateful Dead, Traveling Wilburys, Heartbreakers, Tom Petty, The Byrds, The Hollies, Sonny and Cher, Manfred Mann, Paul and Merry, Peter and The Turtles. However, post his motorcycle crash in 1966, Dylan became a recluse and took an eight year sabbatical after which the prodigious artist once again started working on his performing and recording career along with his infamous ‘Never Ending Tour.’ In the words of AJ Hoberman, "Elvis might never have been born, but someone else would surely have brought the world rock `n` roll. No such logic accounts for Bob Dylan. No iron law of history demanded that a would-be Elvis from Hibbing, Minnesota, would swerve through the Greenwich Village folk revival to become the world`s first and greatest rock `n` roll beatnik bard and then—having achieved fame and adoration beyond reckoning—vanish into a folk tradition of his own making." "Bob freed your mind the way Elvis freed your body. He showed us that just because music was innately physical did not mean that it was anti-intellectual," are the words of Bruce Springsteen during the induction of Bob Dylan to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For an artist valued for his folk style, during the mid 1960’s, Dylan’s inclination to electric instruments (Newport Folk Festival of 1965) was met with jeer and boos. Nevertheless, the master craftsman he is, Dylan made sure that folk purists get their due in his forthcoming compilations. Right from the Cold War to the Civil War of 1950s and 1960s, Dylan art took a revolutionary hue that highlights a society grappling with social issues. Nevertheless, Dylan embodies the very spirit of an artists and a crusader, who seeks to critique and purge the society of all its evil. Bob Dylan Trivia: Bob parents were Abram Zimmerman and Beatrice Stone. Bob Dylan married twice, first to Sara Lownds from 1965 till 1977 and Caroyln Dennis 1986 till 1992. Bob Dylan is Jew converted to Christianity. Going electric in the 1965’s Newport Folk Festival is one of the major controversies in Dylan’s life where the crowd loathed his electric guitar and its poor sound quality. Bob’s motorcycle accident in 1966 was a turning point in career, the musician maintained, “When I had that motorcycle accident ... I woke up and caught my senses, I realised that I was just workin` for all these leeches. And I didn`t want to do that. Plus, I had a family and I just wanted to see my kids." Post his accident, Bob became a recluse and did not tour a single event in eight years. Latest Album: Together Through Life - released on 28th April 2009. Best Known for: Bob Dylan’s fame rests on his ideological views regarding the civil rights movement and his resistance to the Vietnam War – a trait which makes Bob a politically conscious artist.