One of the world's most legendary performers grew up only 200 miles from Detroit Lakes, and that performer is Bob Dylan.
He was born as Robert Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, in Duluth. Only later when he was playing coffee shops in Minneapolis did he start introducing himself as Bob Dylan.
Dylan spent much of his youth listening to the radio and learned to play harmonica and piano by age 10. He also taught himself how to play guitar.
As a teenager in the late '50s, Dylan grew up listening to Hank Williams and Little Richard. In high school, he formed several bands including The Shadow Blasters and The Golden Chords. The Golden Chords stuck around long enough to perform several cover songs.
After high school, he attended the University of Minnesota and traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic and began looking up to folk singers such as Woody Guthrie. In 1960, Dylan moved to New York City where he emerged himself into the folk and blues scene in Greenwich Village.
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His New York City debut occurred at Gerdes' Folk City on April 11, 1961, with Dylan opening for bluesman John Lee Hooker. After playing harmonica on a session for folksinger Carolyn Hester, Dylan was signed by producer John Hammond to a contract with Columbia Records.
Dylan has stayed loyal to Columbia Records during his career except for a brief stint in the 1970s.
The album that threw him into the spotlight was "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," which featured famous songs as "Blowin' in the Wind," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Masters of War." The CD was released in May of 1963.
"Blowin' in the Wind" starts with the famous line "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?"
His next album reflected the mood of the 1960s in "The Times They Are a-Changin'."
In the cover song to that album, Dylan sings "Come senators, congressmen/Please heed the call/Don't stand in the doorway/Don't block up the hall/For he that gets hurt/Will be he who has stalled."
In more recent years, Dylan released his CD "Modern Times," which feature "The Levees Gonna Break," and "Beyond the Horizon."
