Bob Dylan: Stations of a legendary career

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan are connected by more than protest against the establishment. The two were once a couple. In 1963 they made a joint appearance at the civil rights march in Washington.

Calling Bob Dylan a folk or rock singer would be describing only part of his personality. Dylan is more like a total work of art, a cultural treasure of American society, who is an iconic protest figure and actor, as well. In 1973 he appeared in the movie "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid."

When his live touring schedule allows, Dylan has always turned towards benefit performances. In this photo from 1971, he appears with ex-Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison, performing in Madison Square Garden for 40,000 people. The concert proceeds of $250,000 went directly to the young country of Bangladesh, torn by civil war.

Bob Dylan remains active on stage. Although his "Never Ending Tour" was interrupted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been in progress since 1988. The 79-year-old also released his 39th studio album in June 2020, the critically-acclaimed "Rough and Rowdy Ways," which came 58 years after the release of his debut album, "Bob Dylan."

Bob Dylan has two honorary doctorates and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 in recognition of his enormous influence on pop culture. In 2012, US President Barack Obama awarded him the country's highest civil distinction: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also became a Nobel Prize laureate in 2016.

In December 2020, Universal Music bought the entire back catalog of Bob Dylan's songs, a deal covering more than 600 song copyrights and spanning the singer-songwriter's 60-year career. The music company did not reveal the financial details of what it described as "one of the most important" music publishing agreements of all time, but reports estimate it was a "nine-figure deal."