BOB DYLAN

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FACE

IN POPULAR CULTURE AND MUSIC
 WHO IS BOB DYLAN?
• Bob Dylan, a major figure in the folk and pop music movements in the United States, is
more than just a singer and songwriter; he is an institution in himself. Dylan has been
the darling of generations of music lovers over the course of his five-decade career.
• Maybe that's why he refuses to associate his name with any particular generation's
music.
• Breaking into the folk music scene in the 1960s, he planned to create not only
enjoyable, foot-tapping music, but also to raise political and social awareness through
the lyrics of his songs. He was a rebel who refused to conform to the existing norms of
popular music in his era.
• Instead he chose to experiment with his music and lyrics and revolutionized the genre of
pop as well as folk music.
• His compositions span a wide range of musical genres, including blues, country, gospel,
folk, and rock and roll. This talented musician is also a multi-instrumentalist, capable of
playing the guitar, keyboards, and harmonica.
• He is a versatile singer, but his greatest contribution to the world of music is considered
to be his songwriting.
• His songs are all about issues that affect the common man, whether they are social,
political, or philosophical.
• He also enjoys painting, and his works have been shown in a number of major art
galleries.
 WHO IS BOB DYLAN?
• One of the major figures of the folk and pop music movement in the United States, Bob Dylan
is not just a singer or song-writer—he is an institution in himself. With a career spanning over
five decades, Dylan has been the darling of generations of music lovers.
• Maybe that’s why he refuses to associate his name with the music of any particular
generation.
• Breaking into the folk music scenario during the 1960s, he strived to make not just enjoyable,
foot-tapping music, but endeavored to create social and political awareness through the lyrics
of his songs.
• A rebel, he was not someone to conform to the existing norms of popular music of his era.
• Instead he chose to experiment with his music and lyrics and revolutionized the genre of pop
as well as folk music.
• His works cover a wide range of musical genres—blues, country, gospel, folk, and rock and
roll. The talented musician is also a multi-instrumentalist who can play the guitar, keyboards,
and harmonica.
• He is a versatile singer though his biggest contribution to the world of music is considered to
be his songwriting.
• His songs revolve around the issues facing the common man, be they social, political, or
philosophical.
• He also loves to paint and his works have been displayed in some major art galleries.
 PROFESSIONAL CAREER
• Robert Allen Zimmerman was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and raised in a
close-knit Jewish community. He loved music from a young age and spent
hours listening to the radio; he got his first guitar when he was 14 years old.
• He went to Hibbing High School and played in a number of bands while
there. In 1959, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. During his time at
university, he began performing at coffee shops and became involved in the
"Dinkytown" folk music circuit. When he began performing, he changed his
name to "Bob Dylan." After dropping out of college in 1960, he moved to New
York City in 1961 to pursue a career in music. He began playing in clubs and
exploring the music scene.
• In 1962, he released his self-titled debut album, 'Bob Dylan.' It included folk
songs as well as two Dylan compositions. The album did not do well.
• The next album he released, 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan,' was a big hit in
both the United States and the United Kingdom. The album was a
combination of protest songs, love songs, and blues with social messages
that resonated with the audience and helped the singer gain popularity.
• Throughout the 1960s, he became immensely popular as a songwriter and
singer. During this time, he was also deeply involved in the civil rights
movement. One of his biggest hits, 'Like a Rolling Stone,' was released in
1965.
 PROFESSIONAL CAREER
• He was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota where he was
raised in a close-knit Jewish community. He loved music from a young age
and spent hours listening to the radio and he got his first guitar when he was
14.
• He attended Hibbing High School and as a student played with many bands.
He enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1959. While in university he
started performing at coffee houses and became active in the “Dinkytown”
folk music circuit. He changed his name to “Bob Dylan” when he started
performing. After quitting college in 1960 he went to New York City in 1961 in
order to pursue a career in music. He started playing at clubs and explored
the music scenario.
• His eponymous debut album, ‘Bob Dylan’ was released in 1962. It contained
folk songs and two of Dylan’s compositions. The album did not do well.
• The next album he released, ‘The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan’ (1963) became a
big hit in both the U.S and the U.K . The album was a combination of protest
songs, love songs, and blues with social messages which greatly appealed
to the audience and popularized the singer.
• Over the 1960s he became immensely popular both as a songwriter and
singer. During this time he also actively became involved in the civil rights
movement. One of his biggest hits, the single, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ was
released in 1965.
 AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Bob Dylan has received a number of honors. He has 11
Grammy Awards, the most recent of which was for Best
Solo Rock Vocal Performance for 'Someday Baby' in
2007.
• In 2000, he won the Academy Award for Best Original
Song for 'Things Have Changed,' from the movie 'Wonder
Boys.’
• In May 2012, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
• Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in
2016 "for having created new poetic expressions within
the great American song tradition."
 AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Bob Dylan is the proud recipient of several awards. He has won
11 Grammy Awards, the most recent one being Best Solo Rock
Vocal Performance for ‘Someday Baby’ in 2007.
• He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Things
Have Changed’ from ‘Wonder Boys’ in 2000.
• He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest
civilian award of the United States—in May 2012.
• Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature “for having
created new poetic expressions within the great American song
tradition”.
 ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE (1976)
• In this moving song from Bob Dylan's 1976 album Desire, Dylan
asks for "one more cup of coffee" before leaving the gypsy girl
he loves. He knows she doesn't return his love and affection, but
he strives to spend more time with her.
• He tells her that he is leaving to go to the "valley below,"
complaining that "your heart is like an ocean / Mysterious and
dark" and that "your loyalty is not to me / But to the stars above.
• "But before he leaves, all he wants is "one more cup of coffee
for the road / One more cup of coffee 'fore I go / To the valley
below." Maybe if they share another cup of coffee, their
relationship will be saved, or at the very least, his leaving will be
delayed.
• The chorus of "One More Cup of Coffee" is a beautiful duet
between Dylan and Emmylou Harris that passionately expresses
the writer's desire. Scarlet Rivera's mournful violin emphasizes
the sadness throughout the song.
• LET’S PLAY ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE ☺
 ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE
BY BOB DYLAN
Your breath is sweet One more cup of coffee for the road
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky One more cup of coffee before I go
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth To the valley below
On the pillow where you lie

I don't sense affection Your sister sees the future

Nor no gratitude or love Like your momma and yourself
Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above She never learned to read or write
There's no books upon her shelf
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee before I go And her pleasure knows no limits
To the valley below Her voice is like a meadow lark
But her heart is like an ocean
Your daddy, he's an outlaw So mysterious and dark
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick an' choose One more cup of coffee for the road
And how to throw the blade One more cup of coffee before I go
To the valley below
He oversees his kingdom
Where no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food
THE END.