Bob Dylan smokes a cigarette circa 1966. Dylan's music spoke to a generation of people during the 1960s, a tumultuous decade that forever changed America. He went on to become a rock 'n' roll legend and influence many musicians to come. In October 2016, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Dylan for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
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Dylan performs in 1961 at The Bitter End club in New York City. His first album, "Bob Dylan," debuted in 1962 and consisted mostly of old folk songs.
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Joan Baez and Dylan perform during the March on Washington, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, on August 28, 1963.
Dylan performs on stage in the 1960s. Dylan was known in his early career for playing the guitar and the harmonica, and for his distinctive vocal phrasing.
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Dylan listens to recordings of his album "Highway 61 Revisited" in 1965. It contained "Like a Rolling Stone," which went to No. 2 on U.S. charts.
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George Harrison and Dylan perform in the Concert for Bangladesh, held August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The concert earned them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year along with Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar and Ringo Starr.
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Dylan appears on set for the film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" in 1973. Dylan also recorded the soundtrack for the film.
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Dylan performs on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1974.
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Dylan performs with Robbie Robertson of The Band, right, and Van Morrison at The Band's farewell concert in 1976.
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Dylan performs with Tom Petty at Farm Aid in Chicago in 1985.
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Dylan poses for a photo with David Bowie in 1985.
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Dylan and Bruce Springsteen perform together in 1990.
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Performance artist Michael Portnoy is taken off stage during Dylan's performance at the Grammy Awards in 1998. Portnoy had been hired as part of the background dancers for the performance, but his shirtless interruption was not planned and he was carted off stage.
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Dylan performs in Brighton, England, in 2002.
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Dylan appears with actress Jessica Lange during a news conference for the movie "Masked and Anonymous" in 2003. Dylan co-wrote the movie and starred in it.
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Dylan poses for photos at the University of St. Andrews after he received an honorary degree at the Scottish school in 2004.
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Dylan performs during the Grammy Awards in 2011. Dylan has won 10 Grammys in his career, as well as one Golden Globe Award and one Academy Award.
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President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dylan in the East Room of the White House in 2012. The award is the country's highest civilian honor. "I remember, you know, in college, listening to Bob Dylan and my world opening up, 'cause he captured something about this country that was so vital," Obama said.