Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, Bob Dylan has been a major folk music figure for five decades. Some consider him to be the central figure of the folk movement in the 1960s. Influenced by the music of Woody Guthrie, his songs, such as “Blowin' in the Wind” (1962) and “The Times They Are a-Changin'” (1963), became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements. His latest studio album, Modern Times, released in 2006, became his first number-one album in the United States in thirty years, making him at the age of sixty-five the oldest living person to top the charts.

Dylan's onstage instrumentation includes a guitar, keyboard, and harmonica. His backup band is a constant changing lineup and he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has performed with other major artists, such as Joan Baéz, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Bruce Springs-teen, Jack White, The Band, Mark Knopfler, and the Foo Fighters. His songwriting remains his highest accomplishment, incorporating politics, social commentary, philosophy, and literary influences. Jimi Hendrix covered “All Along the Watchtower,” making it a new rock classic.

Dylan has explored many traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock-and-roll and rockabilly, to Celtic balladry, jazz, swing, gospel and Broadway. With more than forty-four years of recording archives, Bob Dylan keeps making and performing great music for all generations and genres.