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Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan holds a unique place in American cultural history, virtually unmatched by any other artist. In 1999, The Guardian of London wrote: Dylan invented modern pop music, and George Magazine, in an article published a year later wrote: "Through an avalanche of original songs unmatched in range and ambition in the second half of the 20th century, Dylan's music retains its power to spin you off center, spear you in the heart and show you your soul from another angle." Though it is impossible to cite all of his extraordinary accomplishments or the complete list of honors and accolades he has received throughout his career, an overview follows:

Dylan has written over 500 songs and released over 43 albums, which combined have sold over 74 million records around the world. His most recent Grammy Award winning album, 2001's Love and Theft, garnered both critical and popular acclaim. Robert Hillburn of the Los Angeles Times described the album as containing..." Striking contemporary pieces filled with his trademark label of dazzling sophistication. It is a unique mix of party frenzy and serious reflection." His previous album, Time Out Of Mind, won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, in 1998.

In 2001, Dylan was the recipient of an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe for Best Song for Things Have Changed from the movie WONDER BOYS.

A legendary touring artist, he has built his reputation on the strength of his live appearances, from the coffee houses of Greenwich Village in the 1960's to stadiums in the 1970's and sold out venues across the world into the year 2002. Since 1988, he has played no less than 100 shows a year, performing in cities from Bozman, Montana to Rio de Janeiro, from Melbourne, Australia to Singapore. His audiences have ranged from college students at Jazzfest in New Orleans to Pope John Paul in Rome.

In addition to his original recordings, Dylan's songs have been covered by over 2000 different artists - a short list of whom includes: The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Guns N Roses, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, The O'Jays, Duke Ellington, P.J. Harvey, Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Buck Owens, Rage Against The Machine, and Garth Brooks.

Dylan's first appearance on screen was in DON'T LOOK BACK, D.A. Pennebaker's legendary cinema verite study of his 1965 tour of the British Isles. He played Alias in Sam Peckinpah's 1973 film PAT GARRETT AND BILL THE KID, which he also scored and for which he wrote the classic song, Knockin' On Heaven's Door. He played Billy Parker in HEARTS OF FIRE in 1987 and appeared in RENALDO AND CLARA, an impressionistic look at Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, released in 1978.

Dylan, who has been the sole subject of over 500 books, received an Honorary Doctorate from Princeton University in 1971; was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982 and the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988; received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, and was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor by President Clinton in 1997.

Bob Dylan received the Commandeur de L'Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, the highest cultural honor bestowed by the French Government and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature for the past four years.

"It's an overcrowded world. It's hard to get to the top. There's a long line at the elevator."


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Bob Dylan Facts

Birth NameRobert Allen Zimmerman
OccupationMusician, Actor
BirthdayMay 24, 1941 (82)
SignGemini
BirthplaceDuluth, Minnesota, USA
Height5' 7" (1m70)  How tall is Bob Dylan compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Bob Dylan and The Band
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan Documentary
30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
The Last Waltz
Dont Look Back
The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965
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