A Minnesota-born American musician, literary artist, and painter whose hypnotic and sometimes inscrutable lyrics—delivered in a distinctive, pungent style—wriggled deep into the marrow of Western culture. Dylan’s folk songs (preceding his famous turn to electric) gave singular voice to Vietnam-era protests, making him an antiwar symbol for a long-lived generation–a characterization he worked tirelessly to get out from under.
Dylan the changeling has released more than 50 albums. He introduced the Beatles to marijuana in a New York City hotel suite and switched religions several times. People ransacked his garbage for inspiration.