Bob Dylan: The Greatest Songwriter Ever

The music industry would have been different if Bob Dylan was not there. Learn more about this Nobel Prize-winning music artist and songwriter who changed the world.

If you ever find yourself wondering who is the greatest songwriter ever in the music industry, then the answer is "Blowin' in the Wind" my friend. Currently 82 years old, Bob Dylan is one of the most influential figures in the music industry who has contributed more than 60 years in the industry with a highly successful career. This legendary singer-songwriter is hailed around the globe as his creations are not just songs but the anthems of liberty that stood strong against war and sociopolitical issues. His lyricism included civil rights and the messages of peace which captivated the listeners around the world. Let’s find out more about this messenger of peace, the living legend Bob Dylan. 

Personal Life & Beginning of Career

Robert Dylan; better known as Bob Dylan was born in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Robert Allen Zimmerman or Bob was born to Abram Zimmerman and Beatrice, who were a part of the close-knit Jewish community. They lived a simple life where his father used to run a furniture and appliance store. Dylan grew up listening to the radio and he was greatly inspired by blues and country music in the initial years. As he grew up, he also explored the taste of rock n roll and it would not have been possible without the support of his parents. 

He studied at Hibbing High School in his mother’s hometown he formed several bands in his years in school. His ardent love for music and literature helped him shape his creativity and become a true artist who can speak for all. He is a poet, a singer, and a narrator who speaks the stories of life while adding a fair share of artistry to it. Dylan’s rock n roll phase was so loud that his school principal had to cut the microphone at their Talent Show, called ‘Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay’. Soon enough, Dylan moved to Minneapolis to study at The University of Minnesota. With his musical aura, he soon became a part of the Dinkytown folk music circuit and everybody started knowing him as Bob Dylan. 

In an interview back in 1985, Dylan was found saying, “The thing about rock'n'roll is that for me anyway, it wasn't enough. There were great catchphrases and driving pulse rhythms but the songs weren't serious or didn't reflect life in a realistic way.” He further explained his experience and emotive journey by saying, “I knew that when I got into folk music, it was more of a serious type of thing. The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings.”

In 1960, Dylan decided to drop out of his college and moved to New York in order to meet and take inspiration from his musical idol Woody Gurthie. Woody was quite ill at that time and passed on his blessing to Bob to let him embark on his magnificent musical journey. Dylan once said, “ I said to myself I was going to be Guthrie's greatest disciple". Dylan soon started playing at the clubs of Greenwich Village and made friends with fellow talented folk artists namely, Odetta, Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil, Odetta, and many others. By 1961, Dylan managed to get ample recognition in the folk music scene and decided to come up with his debut album project in 1962, which marked the beginning of this legend’s professional solo music career in the industry. 

Wide Array of Musical Contributions

Bob Dylan has sold more than tens of millions of albums and worked with more than two thousand artists in his career till now. The man has written more than 500 songs which are recorded. The lyrical genius was not only a solo music artist and singer but a songwriter who has helped numerous other artists to grow in the music industry. Throughout his musical career till now, the legend has released a total of 40 studio albums which many artists could not even do in their whole lifetime. It starts with the namesake album ‘Bob Dylan’ which was released in 1962. Last year, he dropped an album in 2023 called ‘Shadow Kingdom’ which captivated his fans with a total of 14 amazing songs that tell beautiful stories. 

The debut album ‘Bob Dylan’ offered listeners a new taste of traditional folk, blues, and gospel elements along with two original songs namely, "Song to Woody" and "Talkin' New York". The album sold more than 5,000 copies in its initial year which was a huge record. While his musical career launched at full throttle, Dylan also became a prominent figure of protest as he and Baez actively participated in the civil rights movement. They sang together in the March of Protest in Washington, back in 1963, the same year when he released ‘The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan’. In the next year, 1964, Dyaln dropped another album named ‘The Times They Are a-Changin' which perfectly portrays the political perception of the artist, a strong voice that is not afraid to talk about art, mankind, and peace over war and violence. Each of the songs from the album offers a naked picture of the dark history; like "Only a Pawn in Their Game" which depicts the story of the murder of civil rights worker Medgar Evers. There are also "North Country Blues" and "Ballad of Hollis Brown" which show the danger of breaking down farming and mining communities. 

However, love has always survived through wars and the darkest times, and so have Dylan's songs. Other than the powerful songs of protest, he also added a few personal love songs to his musical collection like, “One Too Many Mornings" and "Boots of Spanish Leather" which are still enjoyed by the listeners of this era. Later on, he brought “Bringing It All Back Home” in 1965 which was his first project with electronic elements. This album instantly became a big hit and the song “Mr. Tambourine Man” became an anthem for the fans. To this day, the song is buzzing through playlists of all kinds of music lovers. Dylan’s sixth studio album ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ was opened by the song "Like a Rolling Stone" which is a timeless creation. The track quickly became the No. 2 song on the US music chart and was also listed as the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

It was that time when Dylan was gaining his musical career at full throttle and has been performing in multiple concerts around the country. In 1966, he crashed in a motorcycle accident on his favorite Triumph Tiger 100, near his home in Woodstock. Though the incident made his fans quite concerned, Dylan later on revealed that "I had been in a motorcycle accident and I'd been hurt, but I recovered. Truth was that I wanted to get out of the rat race." During that period, he did not appear on any music tour for eight long years. However, he soon joined the creative process of his music and began to create more intriguing album projects like, ‘John Wesley Harding’, ‘Nashville Skyline’, ‘Self Portrait’, etc to name some. 

By the 1970s, Dylan’s musical journey became quite varied and unpredictable while the artist participated in multiple collaboration projects. ‘New Morning’, ‘Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid’, ‘Dylan’, etc are some of the albums that depict Dylan’s diversity in musical styles and writing which kept evolving through different eras. However, what remained the same is his passion for music which is noticeable through each of his musical projects. In 1973, he signed with the Asylum Records after his deal with Columbia Records expired. He also started touring and kept garnering more attention from the global fans. 

In the later years, Dylan dropped many exquisite album projects that reflected different social issues and global events while there were also romance and experiments. Such as his second Christian album, ‘Saved’ reflected his religious views. His third studio album ‘Shot of Love’ offers a similar essence along with several references from the works of the Christian poems. In 1985, he created a huge buzz by releasing ‘Biograph’ a box set consisting of a total of 53 tracks by Dylan. 18 songs from the collection were unreleased and it made his fans go crazy. In 1986, he came up with “Knocked Out Loaded”, another music album to create a milestone on his journey. 

Entering the 2000s was not a big deal for Dylan as the artist started the new century with more exciting music projects like "Love and Theft", “Modern Times”, ‘Together Through Life’, “Tempest”, and many others. Over the years, Dylan reflected his perception, vision, and desires through his songs and the creative process includes the emotions of the mass. As a result, his songs will always remain timeless and close to listeners’ hearts. 

Studio Albums by Bob Dylan 

    • Bob Dylan (1962)

    • The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

    • The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964)

    • Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)

    • Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

    • Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

    • Blonde on Blonde (1966)

    • John Wesley Harding (1967)

    • Nashville Skyline (1969)

    • Self Portrait (1970)

    • New Morning (1970)

    • Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

    • Dylan (1973)

    • Planet Waves (1974)

    • Blood on the Tracks (1975)

    • The Basement Tapes (1975)

    • Desire (1976)

    • Street-Legal (1978)

    • Slow Train Coming (1979)

    • Saved (1980)

    • Shot of Love (1981)

    • Infidels (1983)

    • Empire Burlesque (1985)

    • Knocked Out Loaded (1986)

    • Down in the Groove (1988)

    • Oh Mercy (1989)

    • Under the Red Sky (1990)

    • Good as I Been to You (1992)

    • World Gone Wrong (1993)

    • Time Out of Mind (1997)

    • "Love and Theft" (2001)

    • Modern Times (2006)

    • Together Through Life (2009)

    • Christmas in the Heart (2009)

    • Tempest (2012)

    • Shadows in the Night (2015)

    • Fallen Angels (2016)

    • Triplicate (2017)

    • Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)

    • Shadow Kingdom (2023) 

Love Life & Relations

Starting from his high school girlfriend Echo Helstrom to his first relationship with artist Suze Rotolo, Dylan has gone through few relationships when it comes to his love life. All of his beloved girlfriends and partners are the reasons behind his exceptional romantic songs that envelop listeners around the world. His most prominent relationship was with Joan Baez, a remarkable singer and an activist who was also addressed as the ‘Queen of Folk’. A fair share of their relationship could be seen in Martin Scorsese's documentary film “No Direction Home’ which was released back in 2005.

Dylan was married to Sara Lownds with whom he shares his first child Jesse Byron Dylan. They had three more children namely, Anna Lea, Samuel Isaac Abram, and Jakob Luke. However, Bob and Sara got divorced in 1977. In 1986, Dylan got married to Carolyn Dennis who used to work as his backing singer. The couple share a daughter named Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan but the marriage did not last in this case as well. The couple soon got divorced in 1992. 

Achievements and Accolades

With his paramount contribution to music, art, and literature; Bob Dylan has become of a role model for many. He has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Sweden's King Carl XVI gave him the Polar Music Prize back in 2000. In 2008, he received the Pulitzer Prize as the jury recognized "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power". He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, from Barrack Obama. Bob Dyal has also earned a Nobel Prize in Literature, which is the highest achievement one can dream of. Evidently, Dylan has received much recognition from the music industry as well as the Governments and Cultural institutes of different countries and global fans. And he absolutely deserves each of them.

Stay tuned to find out more about the legends!