This gentleman has genuine mega-talent, spanning 6 decades of poetic writing, peaceful protesting, and the awakening of the youth movement.
Bob Dylan, is one of the musicians who sparked several genres of pop music which included electrified country rock and folk rock. This was evidenced in the height of his popularity during the 1960s. His influence in music has been echoed throughout various generations; this is because most of his music became popular standards and all of his albums became undisputed classic rock and roll canon. The influence of Dylan throughout the era of folk music was very powerful and it made a pivotal turning point in the 20th century. It was during this era that the genre of music changed from traditional songs to personal songwriting. His presence in music rarely nosedived and in the 2000s, he experienced revival of commercial music and this proved his influence in stay power. With Dylan’s unmistakable voice and his unforgettable lyrics made him bring the world of literature and music together as one thing (Bob Dyla).
“Blowin’in the wind” and “The Times They are a Changing” became anthems for the hippy peace movement.
His music genre was made up of several songs and all his albums witnessed a huge impact among the folk community in the United States of America. Most of the performers started covering songs from most of his albums. The most significant of his albums was the “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Peter, Paul and Mary. This was a top hit and it was top on the charts of summer 1963 and this album propelled him to a household name. It was during the 60s that he had started to record and write his music fast. Furthermore, “The Times They are a Changing” was released in the year 1964. This was the period when the songwriting character of Dylan had grown beyond that of his peers in New York. His musical writing took a literate and more evocative quality. This is when he started expanding his musical boundaries and he added the influence of R&B and Blues into his music (Horn 19).
The album, The Times They are A Changing, established him as one of the definitive writers of the protest movements of 1960s. This reputation increased when he was involved with one of the established icons of the movements, Joan Baez. The two songs became the anthem of the anti-war movements and the American civil rights, this left behind the initial base for the revival of the rock music revival. His lyrics incorporated various social, literary, political and philosophical influences; this defied the existing musical pop conventions and it appealed to people from diverse cultures. The famous song “Blowin’ in the Wind” was derived from the melody of a traditional slave’s song and it sought to question the political and social status quo during that time. The two songs captured the political copiousness of that time (Horn 4).
Finally, Bob Dylan receives the” Presidential Medal of Honor” from President Barrack Obama, for his role in the” Civil rights movement”.
Bob Dylan was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award by the president of the United State of America Barack Obama on May, 2012. The President praised him for his unique voice of reason that redefined the power of music and changed how people are supposed to feel. He was praised for raising issues that afflicted the society (Bob Dylan 3).
Works Cited
Bob Dylan. Biography. Web. 17th March 2014.< http://www.biography.com/people/bob-dylan-9283052?page=1 >
Horn, Geoffrey M. Bob Dylan. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2002. Print.
