When he awarded Dylan the Presidential Medal of Freedom 2012, President Barack
Obama remarked that the “rich poetry of his lyrics opened up new possibilities for popular
song and inspired generations.”

Influenced by Hank Williams, Woodie Guthrie, and Jesse Fuller, Dylan began his career
in New York City, forging a reputation as an acoustic folk musician. He was catapulted to
wide recognition when Peter, Paul, and Mary covered “Blowin’ in the Wind,” a song from
his 1963 sophomore album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, featuring a host of political
protest songs that gave voice to a generation steeped in anti-war and civil rights efforts.

As Dylan broadened his musical scope beyond folk, his sound became more aligned
with rock. On the heels of his Bringing It All Back Home album, featuring electric instruments
for the first time, he famously “plugged in” at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, marking a
turn in his career, which until that point had been defined by its folk sound. That same
summer, “Like a Rolling Stone” hit No. 2 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.

Dylan’s new electric sound was controversial, and met with mixed reviews from fans.
Shortly after a stretch of touring, Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident in 1966, an
incident that pushed him to be a recluse for a period of time. He recorded extensively with
his band, The Band, in a rented house and portions of the sessions were later released on
the double album, The Basement Tapes (and in 2014, as The Basement Tapes Complete).

With Dylan’s reemergence came the start of his acting career (Pat Garrett and Billy the
Kid, 1973) and his first No. 1 album (Planet Waves, 1974). Since then, he has continued to
perform, tour, and produce albums, and shared the stage with such artists as Joan Baez,
the Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers. All told, Dylan has produced 500 songs and more than 40 albums.

Dylan has also built a reputation as a visual artist, publishing six books of paintings and
drawings; his art work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide.

His accolades and awards are many, including 10 Grammys, an Academy Award and
Golden Globe (for his song, “Things Have Changed,” featured in The Wonder Boys),
Kennedy Center Honors, and a Pulitzer Prize special citation.

He has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. Rolling Stone named “Like a Rolling Stone” the No. 1 song of all time, and 12 other
songs also appear on the magazine’s Top 500 list.

Dylan’s legacy is not only evidenced by his catalogue of work and his fearless pursuit of
evolving his music but also by the legends he’s influenced, including the Beatles, Johnny
Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young.

Al Kooper

Al Kooper performed with Bob Dylan in concert in1965 at the Newport
Folk Festival and in the recording studio on Dylan’s Highway 61 (1965)
and Blonde on Blonde (1966) albums. Kooper’s Hammond B3 organ riffs
are highlighted on Dylan’s classic “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Kooper formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1967 and recorded Super
Session with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills in 1968. He discovered
Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972, and produced and performed on the band'’s first
three albums, which featured hits “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”

 

Kooper has also played on hundreds of other recordings for musicians, including the
Rolling Stones, B. B. King, the Who, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.