Bob Dylan Biography

The first artist I will be talking about is James Brown. James Brown was born May 3rd in 1933 in the state of South Carolina. He was moved to Georgia at age four to live with his aunt after his parents split up (James Brown Biography). Brown grew up in great poverty and worked any job he could get to earn a penny. After getting kicked out of school, he turned to more odd end jobs and crime. James eventually got thrown into jail for three years after stealing a car at the age of 16 (James Brown Biography). This looked like a bad thing, but it opened the gateway to his music career. While in jail, he led a gospel choir and formed a fruitful, musical friendship with Bobby Byrd (James Brown Biography). After leaving jail, in 1955, Byrd asked

His song “A Change is Going to Come,” became a movement anthem when he wrote it in response to being arrested for attempting to stay in a “whites only” hotel (The Role Of Music). Cooke became a large part of the movement and became an idol to others who wanted to make a change in the Civil Rights movement. Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota (Bob Dylan Biography). At a young age, Dylan showed an interest in music and was influenced by old rock stars such as Elvis Presley. Bob wrote many folk hit songs throughout the beginning of his career, but the first album that determined his stance in the sixties protest movement was “The Times Are A-Changin’” (Bob Dylan

He started to see that his followers were more liberal guilty whites rather than the black community he was speaking for. He voiced his disapprovement when he criticized the suit wearing audience at the recent march on Washington (Corbett). He became more of a fame seeker than a social activist. The next activist I will be talking about is Joan Baez who influenced Bob Dylan to become a civil rights activist. She was born in Staten Island, New York on January 9, 1941 (Joan Baez Biography). She later moved to California where she was no stranger to racism or discrimination due to her mexican descent. Baez was a folk music vocalist and even became a part of the rebirth in the 1960’s (Joan Baez Biography). Her first album, released in 1960, made her known as a singer that promoted civil rights, pacifism, and social justice. After she became known as an activist, she began performing at marches throughout the years. In 1963, Joan sang “We Shall Overcome” at the March on Washington that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at (Joan Baez Biography). This song soon became a top 40 hit for her in the United Kingdom and she followed it up with songs like “There but For Fortune” and “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue,” which she sang with her boyfriend and civil rights activist, Bob Dylan. (Joan Baez