by Rowena Mills
American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, who turns 84 in May and is still going strong, has had an enormous impact on music and culture since the 1960s and has won many awards, including the first Nobel Prize in literature given to a musician. His powerful lyrics incorporate political, social, and philosophical aspects. He is considered one of the most influential people of the past century. And like some other famous musicians, he has regard for life on earth and is fond of felines, canines, and other animals. He has been photographed with them many times and has written songs about them.
Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 24, 1941, released his first album in 1962, launching a varied and evolving career as a musician, artist, and writer. His songs “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which he performed at one of his first public appearances, and “The Times They Are a-Changin’ ” became anthems of the civil-rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s.
His honors include an Academy Award, 10 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of Arts, and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dylan has a unique tie to Oklahoma. In March 2016, the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Tulsa announced the purchase of Dylan’s archives, consisting of about 6,000 notebooks, drafts of lyrics, recordings, and correspondence. To house the collection, the Bob Dylan Center was opened in the Tulsa Arts District on May 10, 2022.
Only a short distance away, Dylan kicked off his 57-concert Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in the historic Tulsa Theater on March 25, 2025, wowing the audience with his energy and skill.
And perhaps some echoes of the music reached the ears of nearby street cats pausing silently in the darkness. Did they know they were hearing Bob Dylan? Maybe so.
