Say hello to Nobel-winner Bob Dylan! Things to know about Mr. Zimmerman

Robert Allen Zimmerman or Bob Dylan was born on May 24 in the year 1941. The American singer-songwriter, artist and writer is the first from the category to win the coveted Nobel Prize in Literature.

Dylan, a voice of protest and poetry, has been a cult figure over the decades. For more than fifty years now, music lovers have identified with his mostly-honest, sometimes-stark music and lyrics. The personal and the political have resonated through his songs, unifying minds across latitudes.

In a career that has spanned over five decades, Dylan has dabbled with various musical traditions: folks, blues, country, rock and roll and even jazz! While the man himself performs with guitar and keyboards, the harmonica has been a staple fixture of his music acts.

Captivated by the music of folk singer Woody Guthrie, Zimmerman changed his name to Bob Dylan -- reportedly after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas -- and began performing in local nightclubs.After dropping out of college he moved to New York in 1960. His first album contained only two original songs, but the 1963 breakthrough "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" featured a slew of his own work including the classic "Blowin' in the Wind."


US President Barack Obama (R) presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to US musician Bob Dylan in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (File Photo: AFP)

Some of his all-time popular numbers include 'Tambourine Man', ' The Times They Are a-changin', 'Like a Rolling Stone' and 'Blowin' In The Wind'. In one of his most celebrated songs, "Mr. Tambourine Man," Dylan created a literary character after a drummer he knew from the clubs of New York's Greenwich Village. "Like a Rolling Stone" tore apart pop convention by going on for more than six minutes, with Dylan's steady narration and a touch of R&B interrupted by the refrain, "How does it feel?"

"Desolation Row," which closed his 1965 album "Highway 61 Revisited," stretched on for more than 11 minutes and had biblical references, charting the growing tumult in urban America. "Highway 61 Revisited" itself reflected an American journey, referencing the highway that stretches from Dylan's home of Minnesota to New Orleans and the homes of the blues in the American South.

In the last decade, Dylan has also published books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries. Having sold over more than 100 million records, Dylan is one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won 11 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar as well.