7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7by folksinger Woody Guthrie, he began performing folk
music in coffeehouses, adopting the last name Dylan (after
the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas). Restless and determined
to meet Guthrie—who was confined to a hospital in New
Jersey—he relocated to the East Coast.
Arriving in late January 1961, Dylan relied on the gen-
erosity of various benefactors who, charmed by his
performances in Greenwich Village, provided meals and
shelter. He quickly built a following and within four months
was hired to play harmonica for a Harry Belafonte record-
ing session. In September 1961 talent scout–producer John
Hammond, Sr., signed him to Columbia Records.
Dylan’s eponymous first album was released in March
1962 to mixed reviews. His singing voice—a cowboy
lament laced with Midwestern patois, with an obvious nod
to Guthrie—confounded many critics. By comparison,
Dylan’s second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (released
in May 1963), sounded a clarion call. Young ears everywhere
quickly assimilated his quirky voice, which established
him as part of the burgeoning counterculture. Moreover,
his first major composition, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” served
notice that this was no cookie-cutter recording artist.
About this time Dylan signed a seven-year management
contract with Albert Grossman, who soon replaced
Hammond with another Columbia producer, Tom Wilson.
In April 1963 Dylan played his first major New York
City concert at Town Hall. That summer, Dylan made his
first appearance at the Newport (Rhode Island) Folk
Festival and was virtually crowned the king of folk music.
The prophetic title song of his next album, The Times They
Are A-Changin’ (1964), provided an instant anthem.
Dylan was perceived as a singer of protest songs, a
politically charged artist with a whole other agenda. He
spawned imitators at coffeehouses and record labels