Only in America can small town Minnesota boys grow up to be rich, famous and successful in multiple trades. Bob Dylan, one such small town boy, recently received the 2016 Nobel Prize in none other than literature. In honor of this milestone in the great Bob Dylan’s life let us take a moment to follow his footsteps to this very moment.
He grew up in the little town of Hibbing, Minnesota and though he was raised in a close Jewish community his earliest years encompassed that wonderful invention known as the radio. He became immersed in music and by the time he reached high school age it seemed Dylan knew his destiny included music. In the 1960’s Dylan settled in New York where he obtained every aspiring musician’s dream: a record deal. He began recording and on March 19,1962 and at the age of 20 he released his debut self-titled album, Bob Dylan. The trip to success had begun and he had no intention of stopping.
Through the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now 2000’s Dylan has recorded and released multiple hits and albums. Between 1962 and 2016, Bob Dylan has released over 30 albums, many of them reaching silver, gold, and platinum status.
In June of 1988, Dylan began what became known as the “Never Ending Tour”. In other words, he is constantly on tour! Since 1988 he has performed over 100 concerts a year, a larger number than most of his musical contemporaries or new bands can hope to reach. Over the course of the “Never Ending Tour” has acquired many new fans, both young and old. It seems the music of this menstrual never goes out of fashion.
Mr. Dylan has accumulated many accolades in his time as a musician but has not limited himself to just singing and songwriting. He has had success in most areas of his life. A great example of this is his award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award, recognizes exceptional meritorious service. The medal was established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize notable service in the war. In 1963, President Kennedy reintroduced it as an honor for distinguished civilian service in peacetime). In 2012 Robert A. Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan) received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2016 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. This was no small feat. In fact, this amazing man remains only one of two people to ever receive both the Nobel Prize and an Oscar (Wikipedia).
Dylan has certainly made a name for himself that I am sure no one is going to forget very soon. He is distinguished and revered and honestly quite successful. I think now the only thing left to say is, Congratulations Bob Dylan on an incredible career and life!
Independent Examiner 