Bob Dylan Changes the Face of American Music
The most influential singer-songwriter of the century, Bob Dylan has changed the 60’s and the American culture with it. His work is mostly linked to that decade, mainly because some of his seminal work came out between 1964 and 1966. The only songwriter in history to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, Dylan has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over five decades, and songs such as “The Times They Are a-Changin’” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” became anthems for the anti-war movement and the Civil Rights movement.
Photo of Bob DYLAN; performing live onstage (Photo by Bob King/Redferns)
Throughout his career, Dylan has incorporated a wide range of social, political, literary and philosophical influences in his music. In a career that spans half a century, he explored multiple styles ranging from folk and blues to rock and roll, gospel, country, and even jazz and Irish folk music. He was one of the first folk singers to use electrically amplified rock instrumentation, and he released his three most influential albums, “Bringing It All Back Home,” “Highway 61 Revisited” and “Blonde on Blonde” in the space of just 15 months, between 1965 and 1966.
Besides being the symbol of teenage angst, Dean was also a fashion icon, and the leather jacket he wore in “Rebel Without a Cause” has become iconic for the “bad boy” image. This explains the “coat (Dylan) borrowed from James Dean” line in “American Pie.”