Music icon Robert Alan Zimmerman (1941-), a.k.a. Bob Dylan, was born on this day in in Hibbing, Minnesota. With supreme instinct and genius, the singer-songwriter altered the course of popular music from the minute he started strumming his guitar in Greenwich Village in the 60s. One of Dylan's many gifts to rock-and-roll was intellectual credibility. With Dylan, lyrics became tools of self-expression. He inspired others to open up and speak their minds about …showed first 75 words of 956 total…

…showed last 75 words of 956 total…musicians and audiences alike. Many people were drawn to his messages, others to his unique voice. In 1961, Robert Shelton of the New York Times decided to attend a performance of a young musician at Gerde's Folk City Cafe, curious as to who this man was. After his attendence, Shelton wrote a favorable review in September and by October of the same year Dylan signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** yes o yes