User:Mr. Prez/Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, author, and painter, who has been an influential figure in popular music for more than five decades. Dylan first came to prominence as the reluctant "voice of a generation" when his music came to define the civil rights and anti-war movements in the United States, with songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'". With roots in the folk music revival, Dylan controversially abandoned his early fanbase in 1965 as he transitioned to electric instruments and rock-based endeavors, enlarging the scope of popular music. His six-minute single “Like a Rolling Stone” is regarded as the definitive marker of this transition, and has been listed in the number 1 spot on Rolling Stone's lists of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, among others.

Originally inspired by the performances of Little Richard and the songwriting of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Dylan has amplified music genres, exploring folk, rock and roll, blues, country, gospel, jazz, and even rockabilly, English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, and the Great American Songbook. Dylan’s lyrics incorporate a wide range of social, political, and philosophical themes as well as literary and historical influences, which defied existing pop-culture traditions and appealed to the burgeoning counterculture.