This July 22, 2012 file photo shows U.S. singer-songwriter Bob Dylan performing on stage at “Les Vieilles Charrues” Festival in Carhaix, western France
The archives of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan have been acquired by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Tulsa, with plans for curated exhibitions from the trove to be displayed in a Tulsa arts district.
Kaiser Foundation director Ken Levit and university President Steadman Upham announced the acquisition yesterday. Details of the acquisition were not released.
More than 6,000 items are part of the archives, including recordings from 1959, Dylan’s handwritten lyrics to songs like “Tangled Up In Blue,” his first contract with a music publisher and a wallet that includes the address and phone number of country music singer Johnny Cash.
Dylan said in a statement that he’s glad the archives will be included with the works of Oklahoma native and folk singer Woody Guthrie and alongside artifacts of Native Americans.
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman (May 24, 1941), Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, artist and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for decades.
Early songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements, although Dylan always refuted allegations that he was “a spokesman for his generation.”
After he left his initial base in the American folk music revival, his six-minute single “Like a Rolling Stone” altered the range of popular music in 1965. His mid-60s recordings, backed by rock musicians, reached the top end of the United States music charts while also attracting denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement. MDT/Agencies
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