Folk singer Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, and released his first album, Bob Dylan, in 1961. Although it featured only two of his own songs, Dylan soon emerged as one of the most important singer-songwriters in the American folk music (see entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4) and rock and roll (see entry under 1950s—Music in volume 3) traditions. Despite having one of the most unusual singing voices of any major performer, as a lyricist Dylan has been compared with poet John Keats (1785–1821). Songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" are among the most powerful protest songs of the 1960s.

Criticized by fans for his move to electric instruments in 1965, Dylan has produced over forty official albums, including such critically acclaimed releases as Highway 61 Revisited (1965), Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks (1975), and Time Out...