“The times they are a-changin'”
— Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ (1964)
When I was a child, I remember hearing the radio and my father humming quietly to a song by a famous singer whose name I didn’t know. That small moment stayed with me, and years later, inspired me to learn more about this legendary American folk singer-songwriter.
He received many music awards during his career. In 2016, he was given the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. This decision drew both praise and criticism, as some questioned whether such a prestigious literary honour should be awarded to a songwriter. The Nobel Prize recognised his influence on literature through his songs.
He turned 85 on May 24 this year. Robert Allen Zimmerman, known as Bob Dylan, was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, to Abram Zimmerman, who owned an appliance shop, and Beatrice Stone. They belonged to a small Jewish community. According to Dylan’s autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One, his paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Kirghiz, and her family came from Turkey. Dylan grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, from the age of six. As a child, he learned to play the piano, guitar, and harmonica. He listened to blues, country, and later, rock and roll. In high school, he played in school bands performing rock and roll and often copying his idol, Little Richard, by shouting and pounding on the piano. This helped him develop his passion for music.
In 1961, after his first year at the University of Minnesota, Dylan left Minnesota for Manhattan to visit his musical hero, Woody Guthrie, who was very ill and hospitalised. Guthrie had a big influence on Dylan’s early music, and Dylan once said he wanted to be Guthrie’s greatest disciple. In Manhattan, Dylan played in many music clubs, performing folk songs, ballads, and blues for audiences searching for deeper meaning. As a singer-songwriter, he wrote lyrics exploring social, political, philosophical, and personal themes. Over the years, he stood out among other musicians and inspired change.
In his memoir, Dylan explained that he chose the stage name Dylan after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who gave poetry readings and had a strong influence on American mainstream values and traditions. Dylan’s music became the voice in the 1960s civil rights movement for young Americans seeking racial equality and social justice. Two of his songs, “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’ ” inspired many people to speak out and call for change.
Dylan’s songs and modern poetry changed the literary and cultural world. His work reflects the civil rights movement, anti-war activism, changing lifestyle, social norms, and belief systems of his time, and has been studied in schools and universities since the mid-1960s. The University of Tulsa, a top private research school, also holds the exclusive Bob Dylan archive. This collection includes thousands of notes, song drafts, letters, photos, tapes, and videos, among other items.
Till next time.
Cheers!
References
Bob Dylan. (n.d.). Astronomy & Astrophysics Group | University of Glasgow. https://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/users/jcb18j/fakewiki/bobdylan.html
Bob Dylan: Songwriter, poet, archive, institute, impact. (2021, April 6). The University of Tulsa. https://utulsa.edu/news/dylan-archive-institute-latham/
Bob Dylan-Facts. (n.d.). NobelPrize.org. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2016/dylan/facts/>
Dent, C. (2023, September 30). How did Bob Dylan win the Nobel prize in literature? The Collector. https://www.thecollector.com/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-literature/
Family tree of Bob Dylan. (n.d.). Geneastar. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://en.geneastar.org/genealogy/zimmermanr/bob-dylan
Kooper, A. (2026, April 17). Bob Dylan. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan
Mintz, S. (2024, April 15). Bob Dylan, music, poetry, theory. Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/higher-ed-gamma/2024/04/15/bob-dylan-music-poetry-theory
Orteza, A. (2024). Bob Dylan. EBSCO Research. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/bob-dylan#bob-dylan
Smith, E. (n.d.). Bob Dylan: A musical contribution to civil rights. DC Life Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://dclifemagazine.com/celebrity/bob-dylan-a-musical-contribution-to-civil-rights/
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