Who is Robert Zimmerman?

[B Calm]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan

Bob Dylan (/ˈdɪlən/; born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, artist, and writer. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving behind his initial base in the culture of the folk music revival, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" radically altered the parameters of popular music in 1965. His recordings employing electric instruments attracted denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement.

Dylan's lyrics have incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning counterculture. Initially inspired by the performance style of Little Richard, and the songwriting of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical genres. His recording career, spanning fifty years, has explored many of the traditions in American song—from folk, blues, and country to gospel, rock and roll, and rockabilly to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and swing. Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Backed by a changing line-up of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but his greatest contribution is generally considered his songwriting.

Since 1994, Dylan has published three books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries. As a songwriter and musician, Dylan has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and received numerous awards over the years including Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards; he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." In May 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He has been phenomenally successful, considering he can't actually sing.

[jakeXT]

2. Was there a time when he could ?

[nomorenomore08]

3. Then by that standard a lot of other respected performers - Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits

- can't sing either. Just saying...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. And I don't understand why performers with voices like frogs get so successful.

Elvis could sing. A lot of other "singers" can't carry a tune in a bucket. Must be stage presence or something.

[nomorenomore08]

10. Purely a matter of taste. Music is one of the most subjective things there is.

Though I do personally enjoy all the artists aforementioned.

[Jenoch]

12. I agree with you about Bob Dylan.

However, I also believe that the only performer more over-rated than Bob Dylan is Elvis Presley. Or, the most over-rated performer than Elvis Presley is Bob Dylan.

[MADem]

15. Sometimes, it's the delivery that rules--not the perfection of the notes.

I don't ever want to hear Willie Nelson sing opera. He couldn't pull it off.

But any of his signature tunes? He's perfect, and no one can do it like he does.

[graywarrior]

5. He's my boyfriend

[Mr.Bill]

6. He can't sing or play guitar very well.

What makes him great is being a great songwriter.

[antiquie]

7. "singer"

genius

[hibbing]

8. one of my heroes

I still enjoy his new recordings and get all of his official "bootlegs". There are versions of songs where he sounds great on many of these bootlegs, and in the Nashville Skyline recordings his voice is pretty solid imho. Even when his voice is not conventionally fantastic, his phrasing is amazing to me. To each his/her own.



Peace

[nomorenomore08]

9. Didn't he quit smoking during the 'Nashville' sessions so his voice would be less raspy? n/t

[hibbing]

11. yes

My understanding is that he did stop smoking, I'm not sure what the motivation was. The commercial release of Lay Lady Lay doesn't even sound like him. The Cash/Dylan sessions are fun to listen to, an outtake of Girl From the North Country is nice even as an outtake.

Peace

[Jenoch]

13. How far do you live from his house?

I remember his boyhood home being on the market not too long ago. What happened to Bobby's boyhood home? (p.s. We have some hunting land near Warba.)

[Stardust]

14. I can't believe all the negative comments to your OP...did I stumble onto some other message board?

Personally, I adore Dylan (and his voice) but have to admit some of his lyrics lose me. Nevertheless, I think he's a genius. JMHO.

Thank you.

[B Calm]

16. I know, the Lounge is turning into another General Discussion, so sad. . .