Bob Dylan
ROCK AND ROLL POET
It is impossible to conceive of rock and roll’s maturation from teenage recreation
into intellectually expressive music without Bob Dylan. Comparable
only to the Beatles in infl uence, Dylan brought poetry to rock. More impressive,
though, is the massive body of music Dylan has written, performed, and
recorded over his unparalleled half-century career.
Often called “the voice of his generation,” Dylan’s actual voice was instantly
identifi able for its nasal qualities. With it, he created and shed a half-dozen
musical identities, each a phase in a relentless artistic development. Dylan was
a hard-core folkie who imitated Woody Guthrie and learned songs from ancient
records, a protest singer who sang against injustice, a confessional songwriter
who poured his heart out onstage, a confrontational rock icon in dark sunglasses
who played stinging blues, a country crooner, a mysterious fi gure in
white makeup, a born-again Christian who testifi ed for Jesus, and an old-time
bandleader in a suit and cowboy hat. In nearly every capacity, Dylan broke
new ground. Rock and roll, in a sense, transformed around him, and Dylan’s
sometimes confounding actions gained praise and acceptance years later.
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