Musical Icon Bob Dylan is considered one of the most revolutionary and influential figures of the 20th century . He is a man who not only shaped modern music, but overall popular culture. However, Dylan had a rather unique and quirky style which was unlike any other pioneer of change. His style is best described as the harmonious amalgamation of everything good in music since he never let himself be defined by one particular music genre.
Another significant aspect of Dylan's music was the beautiful lyrics he penned. He is a prolific author and also a reputed visual artist. He has heavily influenced many in the music industry, and his contribution to the world of music can perhaps never be overstated.
Here’s how Dylan climbed the ladder of success and composed his way to win the hearts of millions and the Nobel Prize.
Bobby’s Early Life
Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on 24th May 1941 in Duluth city of Minnesota. He was brought up there until he was six years old in a close-knit Jewish family. Later he moved to his mother's hometown in Minnesota called Hibbing, as his father had a furniture business in furniture there.
Dylan had a knack for music from an early age. He began attending Hibbing High School and ended up forming many music bands with his peers. Later he began studying at the University of Minnesota and joined the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. College life became a sweet experience for him as he started performing small gigs in coffee shops and restaurants. One of his most frequented places was Ten O'clock Scholar. He liked performing at places that were closeby to his campus and did not require much commuting. He also became closely associated with the Dinkytown folk music circuit.
In his first year of college, Bob Dylan decided to quit education to pursue his dream. He dropped out of college to travel to New York and become a performer there. This was back in 1961, and Dylan ended up making some crucial contacts while beginning his music career in New York. He also landed the job of playing the harmonica in the third album of Carolyn Hester.
A Prolific Music Career
Being able to perform with Carolyn Hester was a much bigger blessing for Dylan than it became apparent at the moment. It made Bob Dylan catch the attention of the producer John Hammond - something that altered Dylan's destiny drastically. Hammond was so mesmerized by his performance that he immediately signed him to Columbia Records.
Dylan’s first music album was called Bob Dylan and released in March 1962. This album did not become an instant hit, though. It sold about 5,000 copies in its first year. Bob Dylan had Johnny Cash and Hammond for his support through his ups and downs. The second album he released was called The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, and it became more critically acclaimed for dealing with extremely political issues.
After gathering recognition as a politically active commentator of society through art, Dylan released his third album in 1964 on equally political subjects. It was called The Times They Are a-Changin. He released another piece called Another Side of Bob Dylan the same year. In 1965 he released Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited. The following year another of his albums came out, which was called Blonde On Blonde.
His debut on the big screen came in 1973 when he played Pat Garrett and Billy Kid. Bob Dylan released over 35 studio albums in the course of his successful and long-lasting music career. One of his albums, called Rough, And Rowdy Ways, was released just last year in 2020. One of the most significant highlights of his music career is the Never Ending Tour. There was a time when Dylan did about 100 shows a year. He is known to have done his 3000th show in Austria in 2019 as part of that tour. The fabled singer also earns about $20 million as royalties for his works.
Awards And Accolades On The Legend’s Shelf
Bob Dylan can undoubtedly be termed the master of all trades. Particularly in music, he excelled in genres like folk, rockabilly, country and gospel, rock and roll, and blues, to name a few. However, music is not the only field Dylan has excelled at. He is also known for his famed literary pursuits, which is something that reflects in his song lyrics.
It earned him a Pulitzer prize in 2008 for his all-encompassing influence over mainstream music compositions. The big win came in 2017 when he was chosen for receiving the Nobel Prize in literature. It was a global record as no singer before him had been honored with a Nobel Prize for the poetry in their songs. He has also won other awards and accolades like 10 Grammys, one Golden Globe Award, one Academy Award, and the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. One of his Grammys was for the commercial hit Slow Train Coming.
Although this side of the legend is rather uncommon, Dylan is also a highly skillful visual artist and has had public art exhibitions like 2007’s ‘The Drawn Blank Series In Germany,’ ‘The Brazil Series,’ ‘The Asia Series,’ and ‘The New Orleans Series,’ among others. He also has about eight publications featuring his paintings and artworks. Bob Dylan sold his entire song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for $300 million. Presently the 80-year-old songwriter has a massive net worth of about $350 million and lives a comfortable life while still being connected with music.
Source: Biography, Celebrity Net Worth, Success Story, Forum Daily.