4 of 11

Yes

Write now Article Tools

It's all a matter of personal opinion as to whether or not Bob Dylan is a folk singer. So with that being said as far as I'm concerned being that folks such as myself listen to his music he is a folk singer.

When he first burst onto the scene in the 1960's, Dylan fashioned his style after a famous folk singer by the name of Woody Guthrie. Bob played acoustic guitar and harmonica to small audiences at coffee houses in New York's Greenwich Village. His songs spoke about contemporary humanist causes at a time when the U.S. was going through several drastic changes. President Kennedy had just been elected and was dealing with the Cuban missile crisis. The Country was experiencing racism and riots in the South East and we were getting deeper into the Vietnam war. Although Bob Dylan never outright stated that he was indeed a folk singer, his lyrics often reflected all the turmoil this Country was going through at the time. And there were certainly a lot of folks affected by these incidents, not only in this Country but worldwide as well.

Although his music has evolved over the almost fifty years that Dylan has been performing, his music is still relevant to folks that have suffered broken hearts,grief and pain. Or anyone that has found God and happiness. As far as I'm concerned Bob speaks for past generations,present generations and generations yet to come. Certainly that's an awesome amount of folks. Other folks might not agree that he is a folk singer, but there are millions of folks that still listen to his music and there are other folks who have started their musical careers because of Bob Dylan. That's an awesome amount of folks isn't it? Speaking of which, I must mention all of the other famous musicians of the sixties who sang about contemporary causes along side of Bob. Joan Baez,Donavan,Neil Young,The Byrds,Buffalo Springfield and that little group from Liverpool,The Beatles. Certainly they sang about causes at the time and isn't that what folk music is about,causes? Not to mention all of their songs are still played on the radio. And by the way, Bob has influenced the musical styles of every single one of the aforementioned groups or artists.

This debate could go on for years to come but in the end it comes down to personal opinions about whether or not Dylan is a folk singer. I'm not trying to convince you that he is or he isn't. All I'm trying to say is that is music was and always be a reflection of what people go through in their daily lives. And in the end aren't people "just us folks"? In the end even though Bob is a living legend, in my heart I'll always feel that he is "just plain folk",like me!

Learn more about this author, Frank Deutschen.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Is Bob Dylan a folk singer??
We want to hear your view. Write now!