Say it ain’t so. 

Robert Zimmerman was born in Hibbing, Minn. on May 24, 1941.  At the age of 20, he arrived in NYC’s Greenwich Village playing coffee houses.  It is said that his first night in town he played the famous Café Wha?  Producer John Hammond was impressed and signed him to a 5 year contract and his first self-titled album was recorded.  It did not do well.  From there he decided to record more and more of his own original music.  It was this year that he wrote one of his most famous songs “Blowin In The Wind”.

By 1965, he had recorded his 6^th album “Hwy 61 Revisited”, which I must say, perhaps more due to nostalgia than anything else, is still my favorite Dylan album.

Now the Rovin' gambler he was very bored
He was tryin' to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said, "I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes I think it can be very easily done"

We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun
And have it on Highway 61

and in that year does his last entirely acoustic set,  performing at the Newport Folk Festival that year – backed by the (electric)Paul Butterfield Blues Band – his performance is booed.

It is in 1965 when Dylan starts playing with “The Band” and in July of 1966, suffers serious injuries in a motorcycle accident  This keeps him off the touring circuit for the next 8 years!  Though it does not stop his recording.

John Wesley Harding in 1967; Nashville Skyline in ‘69

It is not until 1974 that he gets back on the road, playing with “The Band”, who he has been playing with since 1967 when they lived together in a house in upstate NY they called “Big Pink”

He  was Married Sara from 1965 until 1977 and had 5 children .

by 1983 – he was headed back towards his roots in Judaism

A fact that I did not know, was that Dylan was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature each year from 1996 to 2000, though he did not win it.  Allen Ginsberg was instrumental in having him nominated and says”

- Dylan is a major American Bard & ministrel of the XX Century, whose words have influenced many generations throughout the world. He deserves a Nobel Prize in recognition of his mighty and universal powers"

He Has a number of albums that are lukewarm in the intervening years.  But In 1997 the album “Time Out Of Mind” is released which wins him 3 Grammy’s in 1998, including best album.

Bob Dylan’s First #1 pop hit = Mr. Tambourine Man – the Byrds.

Rolling Stone Magazine declares that “Like A Rolling Stone” was #1 of the “The Greatest 500 Songs Of All Time

Nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose

Ballad of a Thin Man