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Bob Dylan

Singer / Songwriter

Born: 24 May 1941
Birthplace: Duluth, Minnesota
Best known as: Singer of "Like a Rolling Stone"

Name at birth: Robert Allen Zimmerman

Bob Dylan is a towering figure of late 20th century pop music, known for such songs as "All Along The Watchtower" (made into a hit by Jimi Hendrix), "Like a Rolling Stone," "Tangled Up in Blue," "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Lay Lady Lay." Dylan has been recording and performing since 1962, mixing folk, country, blues and rock; he sometimes startles his fans but almost always pleases the critics. Although Dylan was an influential pop figure during the youth movement of the 1960s, his first number one hit, "Knocking on Heaven's Door," didn't come until 1973. During the '80s he toured extensively, and in the '90s his songs found a new audience and more acclaim from the music industry: in 1991 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Grammy; his 1997 album Time Out of Mind won three Grammys; and in 2001 Dylan won an Oscar for "Things Have Changed," from the movie Wonder Boys (2000). In 2006 he released his first album in five years, Modern Times. It included the song "When the Deal Goes Down," which was made into a video directed by Bennett Miller and featuring Scarlett Johannson. Dylan's albums include Blonde on Blonde (1966), Nashville Skyline (1969), Blood on the Tracks (1975), Infidels (1983) and Knocked Out Loaded (1986).

Extra credit: Dylan has recorded with a variety of other artists, including Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon and The Grateful Dead... His son Jakob Dylan is the lead singer for the band The Wallflowers... The film of Dylan's 1965 tour, Don't Look Back, is considered one of the great rock-n-roll documentaries... Dylan's tune "Like A Rolling Stone" was named the #1 song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in November 2004.


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