The grandchild of Jewish-Russian immigrants, Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman, on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota where his father, Abe, worked for the Standard Oil Company (Mr. Showbiz 1). Dylan is undoubtedly considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of popular music. He is the author of many classic songs and is regarded as the man who brought literacy to rock lyrics (Muze 1). He began playing music and writing poems as a teenager, but his unique music stylings began to take shape upon his enrollment at the University of Minnesota in 1959. It was in Minneapolis that he began mixing blues into his own material; which consisted mainly of folk. The greatest influence on Dylan is folk singer Woody Guthrie, it was from Guthrie that Dylan adopted his stage persona and the way he carried himself as a musician. Another important influence on Dylan is blues singer Jesse Fuller. It was from Fuller that Dylan got the idea to use the harp rack. This is a device that goes around your neck and has a harmonica attached to it. It allows you to play harmonica and guitar simultaneously (Muze 2).
             Bob Dylan went to New York to pursue his music career on January 24, 1961. For being a very new and still raw performer, Dylan had a huge impact on the music scene of the folky Greenwich Village. His charisma, energy, and the tall tales he told about himself captivated all who saw him on stage (Muze 2). He impresses many seasoned musicians by his ability to memorize songs after only hearing them once (Mr.Showbiz 2). After only eight months playing the club/café scene, Dylan was signed by John Hammond to Columbia Records (Muze 3).
             His first album, called simply "Bob Dylan," was released in March 1961. The most astonishing thing about this album was Dylan's voice. For many people it was hard to imagine the maturity of the voice on the record to be coming out of the fresh faced looki...