Early Life
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, he grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, and moved to New York City in 1961, where he became part of the Greenwich Village folk scene.
Career
Albums such as The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) and songs like “Blowin' in the Wind” made him a voice of the civil rights and antiwar movements, though he soon moved beyond protest songs. In 1965 he shocked folk purists by performing with an electric band, and released Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde in quick succession. Later landmark albums include Blood on the Tracks (1975) and Time Out of Mind (1997).
Legacy
Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for creating new poetic expressions within the American song tradition. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Sources and further reading
Last updated: 2026-09-24