Today's birthday, May 24
Today's Birthday May 24: US musician Bob Dylan (1941-).
Bob Dylan is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century but he always protested against being thought of as the voice of his generation.
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Minnesota, he taught himself to play the guitar and piano and began his musical career at local clubs performing as Bob Dylan.
Travelling to New York, it was Dylan's second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) which, with the hit Blowin' in the Wind, saw him shoot to stardom.
After having success with follow-up acoustic albums including 1964's The Times They Are A-Changin', Dylan moved to a more electric sound with his Bringing It All Back Home (1965) release.
Dylan followed this with albums Highway 61 Revisited (1965) and Blonde On Blonde (1966), both of which are considered by many as his best work.
Highway 61 Revisited contained the single Like a Rolling Stone, which became the theme song for the counter-culture generation of the `60s.
After nearly being killed in a motorcycle accident in 1966, Dylan moved away from public life.
He came back with more hard rock performances before moving into country music.
His success continued through the`70s with multiple chart-topping albums and his first Grammy.
Since then Dylan has worked on a variety of projects, including as a member of supergroup the Travelling Wilburys, and still continues to tour the world as a solo artist, playing to fans old and new.
US President Barack Obama awarded Dylan a Medal of Freedom in 2012.
During the ceremony the 73-year-old was described as an inspiration to multiple generations.
Dylan's solo career has spanned more than 50 years, 35 studio albums and 11 live albums.
His next studio album, Shadows in the Night, is due to be released in August this year.
