Mega Music Talent

Archive for December, 2008

As the 62 year old pop icon continues to deny rumors about a recent show cancellation at Caesar’s Palace, more news stations are eager to get the “cancer on” rather than report on the longtime pop singers talents during her 90 minute performance.

The singer has recently had to deny everything from severe abdominal problems to cancer when she was caught with “Vegas throat.” “If I had cancer, everyone would know it,” Cher told “Access Hollywood” in an interview Friday. “I wouldn’t tell them, but somebody would. When you have those kinds of things happen, if you’re famous, you can’t keep them a secret.” While Cher is not one to be excluded from the spotlight, it isn’t much of a surprise that these rumors have started. With something like three successful careers under her large embellished belt, it comes as so surprise that this legend knows how to keep thing exciting.

This so called “sickness” blows in with the desert air every so often enough that other long time Sin City performers known exactly what she’s talking about. “My health is great. But you know there’s a wind thing that blows there sometimes in different months, and I have an allergy to it. So yeah it’s really hard if you get a sickness and you’re famous. It’s impossible. You have to suffer with the sickness and everyone gets to know it,” she continued during Friday’s taping.

Just enough to spike the rumors to high heaven is her recent announcement to continue her Vegas stint next year. Returning to Caesars Palace in February, Cher plans on keeping her hefty schedule with four nightly shows a week that run ninety minutes long. The first 35 dates are already scheduled and begin at the end of February.

“Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace” has been a staple since last May when she sold out 44 shows and performed for over 200,000 fans, according to a press release. Since the ’60s the world of Cher has been in the public eye. From her public relationship with music partner and producer Salvatore “Sonny” Bono to her work in film (and a subsequent Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Moonstruck), Cher’s comings and goings have always been of media speculation. After a very public divorce and dissolve of the group that got her her star (Sonny & Cher), she kept recording hit records and eventually transitioned into a famous actress. Currently she is recognized not only for her alternative folk days with ex-husband but also for her unique and ever-changing fashion sense. If you’re still not sick of Cher, check out her most recently updated dates, all of which are at The Colosseum at Caesars.

February 2009
21, 22 – Las Vegas, NV
24, 25 – Las Vegas, NV
28 – Las Vegas, NV

March 2009
1 – Las Vegas, NV
3, 4 – Las Vegas, NV
7, 8 – Las Vegas, NV
10, 11 – Las Vegas, NV
14, 15 – Las Vegas, NV
17 – Las Vegas, NV
20, 21 – Las Vegas, NV

April 2009
25, 26 – Las Vegas, NV
28, 29 – Las Vegas, NV

May 2009
2, 3 – Las Vegas, NV
5, 6 – Las Vegas, NV
9, 10 – Las Vegas, NV
12, 13 – Las Vegas, NV
16, 17 – Las Vegas, NV
19, 20 – Las Vegas, NV
23, 24 – Las Vegas, NV

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/cher-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Of recent days, the name Fall Out Boy has coincided more with tabloid magazine cover spreads rather than their recognizable hardcore punk sound. The group seemingly all about the underground has become pawns in the mainstream thanks to bassist Pete Wentz. As longtime fans of Fall Out Boy, which really only stretch to the early ’00s, know, the face of the punk band originally came in the form of vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump mostly in part because of their first hit single, “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” Suddenly Wentz appeared, with a clothing line, a bar, film production work, a record label, and a hot wife. Just as confused as the rest of us?

Wentz’s life has commanded the punk band so much so that Fall Out Boy’s latest record, Folie a Deux, is set to premiere only after Wentz’s pop star wife, Ashlee Simpson, has their child. According to the Herald Sun, the rest of the members of Fall Out Boy have allowed for this family occasion. “Fall Out Boy’s new record has been designed to work around [the birth]. I have a nomadic life. That allows your child and family to see the world’s culture, so that will be a great thing,” Wentz told the paper.

Originally set to premiere Election Day, the Deux bump to December 16 was not only due to Wentz’s baby momma’s bump but also the fact that this November’s election is such an important one. “I perceived it as a gimmick, a cute thing,” Wentz told the Herald Sun, ”we were going to make ‘Vote for Fall Out Boy’ T-shirts. But that seemed a bit cheap. So we decided to push it back. Our label wanted it out next year, we wanted it out this year, so now it’s out two weeks before Christmas. We’ll see how it goes. The election is more important than our record. If our record suffers for that, that’s OK.”

Appeasing fans and their record company, Fall Out Boy has set another kind of record. Instead of searching for the number one sales spot this November, they instead set their sights on a Guinness World Record. The idea to break a World Record is not their first, incidentally. Earlier this year they hoped to put their names on a different page in the Guinness book by performing live on all seven continents within nine months. But when Antarctica’s weather proved to be a problem, they set their sights on something a little more feasible – “Most Interviews on Radio In a 24 Hour Period By a Pair of Two.” The two geniuses who performed the acts were none other than Wentz and Stump, who conducted 72 interviews on Halloween. Though the interviews still need to be confirmed by Guinness, they boys shattered the previous record, which held the mark at 57 and was set in May.

But for Wentz and his band mates, this is not the only record they hope to set even as 2009 looms nearer and nearer. With a pushed released of their fifth studio album and an instrumental presidential election on its way, Fall Out Boy plans on “clubbing” it in promotion of their new album. Beginning November 6th in Allston, MA, the punk rockers will continue on this record setting mindset as they limitedly promote an album yet to be released. What else could happen with Wentz and his crew? Only time will tell as Fall Out Boy continues to shock the nation with their outlandish desires.

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/fall-out-boys-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

As if a bitter divorce and an adulterous scandal isn’t enough drama for one person, the Material Girl is adding one more thing to her recent agenda – a lover’s quarrel. If you’re thinking it’s her own, think again. Television and radio personality Ryan Seacrest talked about it on his KIIS-FM talk show – Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears performed together during Madonna’s Los Angeles concert. Just days after she shouted with approving San Diego crowds moments after President elect Barack Obama was announced, Madonna headed to Dodger Stadium with a little more flair. Can’t wait to see what this sticky and sweet singer will do next? Check out http://www.stubhub.com/madonna-tickets/ for her next uproar!

Individually, all three of the concert participants have had their fair share of controversy. Since Spears and Timberlake stopped any ties that connected the former couple who came together when they first popped onto the pop music scene, Spears has been in and out of the tabloid presses mostly because of her eccentric lifestyle after she married, then sequentially divorced, a former backup dancer. Timberlake, who has been in and out of Hollywood relationships since his “first” (aka Spears) continues to create questions about his openly seamless love adventures. Finally Madonna has as of recent been making headlines not because at 50 years old she is performing a worldwide tour, but rather due to her divorce with younger film director Guy Ritchie and public relationship with Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez, who also recently went through a divorce.

While fans may not have much trouble purchasing tickets for the show, true Madonna fans shouldn’t be too surprised to learn of the two pop stars guest appearances. Timberlake appeared on Madonna’s “4 Minutes” and performed with her during her New York City show. Spears and Madonna have an even longer history – that goes back to the seductive kiss from MTV’s Video Music Awards. “If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her.. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite like that before,” Seacrest added during his morning show with BoyToy Jesse. “Expect some real serious surprises.”

Madonna is currently touring the world with her “Sticky and Sweet” tour promoting her Hard Candy album, which premiered in April and debuted at number one in more than 30 countries. Throughout her extravagant world concert, which began in Cardiff, Wales in September, Madonna grooved to giant virtual Timberlake’s and sang duets with a recording of Spears, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The queen of pop didn’t have to imagine anything on Thursday night when Timberlake and Spears actually arrived in person for a few songs. Her 11th studio album has several hit singles, including “Give it 2 Me” and “4 Minutes.”

Her concerts remained one of the highest rated, not only for its rich styles that is evident not only on the material girl but via the stage, but also because of the icon herself, who has been making musical headlines since the early ’80s with her singles “Like a Virgin,” “Lucky Star” and “Material Girl.”

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/madonna-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

With the lineup for California’s biggest country music festival just announced, it looks like its third annual event will be its biggest ever. With headliners that include Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire and Kid Rock making the list of initial performers, Stagecoach Country Music Festival tickets are already going to be hard to come by with more than four months to go!

Performing for the third time at Indio, California’s Empire Polo Club this April, the event will not only house some of the best country music, but also some of the nation’s best Bar-B-Que and more festival events that will get your riled up for some amazing guitar strumming and boot kickin’! Just because Californian’s are surrounded by the beauty of the ocean and the mountains doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy a little hootenanny – and with the biggest stars set to headline the event this year, the liberals on the west coast are sure to peel off their yearly-worn sandals and throw on some cowboy boots for an event like this. Country fans tired of their friends bragging about little known (to them) bands performed at Coachella, the Stagecoach Country Music Festival is the counterpart to the rock scene and will be every bit as exciting.

The lineup for 2009 was listed on Stagecoach’s website, which also includes Miranda Lambert, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Jeff Walker, Reverend Horton Heat, Little Big Town, Poco, The Charlie Daniels Band, Darius Rucker (from Hootie and the Blowfish), Lynn Anderson, Dale Watson, Chris Cagle, Lady Antebellum, Ralph Stanley, Doyle Lawson, The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Danielle Peck, The Zac Brown Band, The Duhks, Waddie Mitchell, Randy Houser, Hot Club of Cowtown and James Intveld.

The event is a rodeo of California’s country fans of sorts, complete with a mechanical bull, activities for the kids via the Half-Pint Hootenanny kids area and an expansion for all those RV’s that roll in. The festival, put together by Coachella company Goldenvoice, was expanded last year to three days when the Eagle’s made a last minute performance for a bonus day. The Eagles headlined a day all to themselves after their Grammy win for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group for “How Long” just weeks prior to the event. This year is set to remain at two, but with all the country cancellations that have been occurring as of late, who knows what will happen to the all star lineup as the months pass. Last year the attendance doubled what it was from the year previous (aka its debut year) from 55,000 to 120,000, with headliners that included Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Trace Adkins, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Dwight Yoakam, George Jones and a reunion of The Judds.

AEG also puts on the event with Goldenvoice, another player in the original Coachella mixture. The music man behind all of AEG’s success, Chuck Morris, recently talked to media outlets about plans for a new festival for 2010. The company, which throws down Coachella followed by Stagecoach just a week apart, could add another “drawing board,” according to the Denver Post, stamp for AEG either the week before or after the Mile High Music Festival with yet another genre bending festival.
This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/stagecoach-country-music-festival-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Some matches seem made in heaven. Others are made in honky-tonk bars.

The match between Leon “Kix” Broooks and Ronnie Dunn is one that country is forever grateful for. Alone, neither musician made much traction as a solo artist. Together, they become a powerhouse duo that has become one of the most successful country acts in modern history.

Both spent their youths training musically, and their young adulthood wandering from odd job to odd job. Dunn had actually wanted to become a Baptist minister, even going as far as attending Abilene Christian University before he was kicked out for performing music in local bars. It seemed like both were natural born musicians.

In 1988, both men earned the notice of an Arista executive who smelled a deal. He brought them together-the lower-key, more pensive Dunn and the highly animated Brooks. The chemistry couldn’t have been more perfect. They began writing and recording together, and when the label saw the results they knew they had a hit on their hands.

Brooks & Dunn released their first album in 1991. Brand New Man featured three number one singles that raced up the country charts: “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” And people’s boots did scoot, kicking off a line-dancing fad that swept up country joints across the nation. The duo’s follow-up album, Hard Workin’ Man, appeared two years later. It followed up on the smash success of their debut, scoring five singles that peaked on the country charts’ Top 5, and seemed to cement the group as truly great entertainers. In 1994, they released their third record, Waitin’ on Sundown, which went platinum twice. There were no doubters in the industry after that.

“Little Miss Honky Tonk” was one of their biggest hits on that record. “I get out on the redneck side every now and then/Call up my baby she comes over and the party begins/She’s a slick nickel, she’s right on the money/I wouldn’t give her up for a thousand buckle bunnies/I’m her big cat daddy, she’s my little miss honky tonk,” the lyrics go. Brooks & Dunn built their reputation on songwriting like this-fun and freewheeling, with plenty of “honky-tonk” slang that let’s their listeners know they’re keeping things real.

In 1996, the duo continued their hot streak by releasing Borderline, which also went double-platinum and was loaded with hits. Songs like “My Maria,” “A Man This Lonely” and “I Am That Man” were the top songs off that record, and they managed to all earn heavy radio play as well.

The group’s albums would begin to lose some popularity after this, slowly but steadily increasing as the ’90s wore on and the new millennium began. But they revised their sound in 2001 and restored themselves as kings of the country charts.

It’s not much wonder that Brooks & Dunn tickets sell just as well today as they did in the mid-’90s.

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com/ and was written by Andrew Good. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/brooks-and-dunn-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Paul McCartney’s newest album was released in November of 2008 but it’s not exactly a Paul McCartney album. It’s officially an album by the experimental music group called The Fireman. Hopefully you are now intrigued and are wondering what in the heck I’m talking about. And you should be intrigued if you enjoy interesting music that stretches the boundaries of “normal” song arrangements.

So who is The Fireman and what do they have to do with Paul McCartney? The Fireman is a duo consisting of a producer who goes by the name Youth (his real name is Martin Glover) and a former bass player for a certain influential 1960s band named Paul McCartney (ah yes, how did you guess?)

If you haven’t heard of The Fireman before that’s because they have only released two previous albums which haven’t gained much widespread attention. One of which was basically a remix album (1993′s Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest) and a second that was a psychedelic, almost entirely instrumental, ambient album (1998′s Rushes which I highly recommend.) Neither of these albums were very publicized and neither made the charts in the UK or the US.

Their newest album, Electric Arguments, is a shift for the group in that it has been more heavily promoted (and it did enter the charts in the US and the UK although only at #67 & 71) and in that it includes songs with vocal melodies & lyrics rather than pure instrumentals (in fact every song on the album features vocals.)

This is very exciting for McCartney fans like myself who have greatly enjoyed McCartney’s more experimental tendencies (such as the tape loops on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the second album from The Fireman (Rushes,) or The Liverpool Sound Collage.) Finally we get to hear the combination of McCartney’s songwriting & singing talents (and his vocals sound amazing on this album) combined with his experimental musical ideas.

It’s a thrilling ride especially when you consider the rather psychedelic notion that this is the same man who basically gave birth to many of the musical styles of today. This 66 year old man who has seen the music he helped give birth to develop into many different styles of music. And here he is in 2008 still producing inventive original music. It’s truly a beautiful thing if you are into music for the art of it and not for the scene (yes I’m looking at you Pitchfork Media.)

One of the really great things about this album is the way that McCartney stretches his vocals. On each song they sound completely different than the song before (or just about any song he’s ever released in the passed.) There’s a rawness to his vocals that is really exciting to listen to.

There’s a lot of different styles of music on Electric Arguments from ragged rock (track 1 opens the album with a noisy Led Zeppelin-esque rocker) to quiet acoustic music (Track 2 “Two Magpies”) to spaced out hard to describe electronica inspired music.

One of the highlights for me is track 6, “Light From Your Lighthouse” which features probably the weirdest vocal on the album (and that’s saying quite a bit.) It’s also probably the catchiest song on the album. It actually reminds me a great deal of Ween which is a very good thing. I don’t think a lot of people realize how inspired by McCartney Ween actually are. It was Paul, after all, who was behind of the “genre pastiches” with The Beatles (“Rocky Raccoon,” “Honey Pie,” “When I’m 64,” “Back In The USSR.”) By the way, if you are more of an old school classic rock fan and you’ve never heard Ween, I recommend you check them out. Start out with something like White Pepper so you don’t get scared away!

All said, I think Electric Arguments is sure to go down as one of the best albums of 2008 and as one of the most essential albums in Paul McCartney’s solo career.

The author Johnny Moon says you should go to http://www.MusicByDay.com for more music magic.

Anybody can start learning how to play the guitar, but not everyone finds it easy. Here are 4 effortless steps to have fun playing the guitar.

Charts are for children.

This only means that you can entirely enjoy reading guitar chord charts as much as a 2-year old enjoys colorful fairy tale pictures. This may sound exaggerated, but once you try to position your fingers on the frets, you will definitely agree that learning guitar chords is actually very easy. Guitar chord charts are illustrated in such a way that they will act as your companion in learning guitar chords and not as a confusing manual to hinder you from having fun playing the guitar. These charts have all the chords alphabetically ordered and they include the middle tones, denoted by sharps and flats, as well.

Counter-strike with tabs.

Reading tabs is as easy as targeting your enemy with a sniper, because every note played requires perfect timing to follow with your own guitar strokes. If you can’t position your crosshair on the target – that is, if you can’t slide your fingers fast enough to ride with the tune of the song – you can never win. As with studying tablatures, it is very important to keep an eye on sudden note shifts, making sure that the chords and the tones blend well enough to sound exactly as they should. Similarly, guitar chords require good practice to produce a perfect sound. A professional guitarist can distinguish a perfectly pressed guitar chord than that of an out-of-tune chord. Many people find it difficult to deal with guitar chords that have bars in them (so called barre chords), but eventually – with sufficient finger drills and practice – you’ll definitely play the right strings quite effortlessly.

Chords are on board.

If you apply these simple tips to your own guitar learning sessions, you will definitely get much closer to the knowledge, required to play guitar chords well enough to make any song sound right. You need to always remember that chords are the basic components of a song. You can practically create your own music with your fundamental knowledge of guitar chords and tablatures. When it comes to playing the song with the help of tablatures, you should know that even though the tablatures are of great help in providing a transcription of a song to the guitar player, the accuracy of the song is entirely dependent on the maker of tablature. If he or she tabulates the song wrongly then surely your output will also be erratic and awkward. It really helps if you are familiar with basic chords as these can help you track errors in tablatures and correct them.

Transformers live within guitarists.

Practically, you have to embody the notes in your fingers. If the melodies are slow, changing finger positions should respond in a similarly appropriate manner, which will make your playing feel much more natural. The most important thing in reading tabs is to never try to learn the whole song at once. Remember to add some patience to the process and it will be much more rewarding. For instance, just try to learn the verse first – instead of considering the entire song as a big chunk of food that you can never swallow at once. Dividing it into parts will facilitate the learning of the whole melodies and beats. Patience is still a virtue, after all.

The author Will Griffin is an experienced lead guitarist and a occassional drummer. He finds all the chords and tabs he needs at YourChords.com. Check it out at http://www.yourchords.com

Are you interested in setting up a home business selling musical instruments online? Buying wholesale from suppliers is easier than you might think and you will save a huge percentage on retail price – leaving you a decent profit after sales. This article is a guide to the product itself, buying your merchandise and finding the correct supplier for you.

Musical instruments are big business, and there is plenty of money to be made in them, especially if you can reach your target market. An online shop expands your options and lets you sell anything from a tuba to a triangle anywhere in the world. Follow these tips on stocking your business and you’re sure to be on your way to success.

Instruments are usually pretty pricey, so it is important you know a thing or two about them before you jump into wholesale. It is important to know a good guitar from a bad one to ensure you get a good price on wholesale and can set a reasonable retail price that will sell. You should also decide on what you are going to sell. There might be money in pianos, but consider shipping! Who are you going to target? Young bands just starting up? Then you need guitars, drums and accessories. School bands? Then you’ll have to stock a whole range of instruments. Do you want to aim at connoisseurs and sell only finely crafted instruments, or are you aiming more at people picking up an instrument for the first time? In the first instance, you will really have to know what you are about to be able to find and appraise the right instruments. The choice is yours, and whatever you want to sell, you’re sure to find a supplier who can sell you the appropriate merchandise.

Sourcing instruments is made much easier with the use of the internet. Most wholesalers have a website which showcases their work and allows for easy ordering. When looking for quality in instruments, the country of origin should be taken into account. The US makes the best electric guitars, but Germany is the expert when it comes to pianos. If you are looking to stock top class merchandise then this must be taken into account.

With musical instruments, it may be helpful to source different instruments from different suppliers given that some may specialise in one instrument or another. If you’re looking for pianos, then wholesalers stock a diverse range of pianos from modern style to grand. For guitars you may even want to separately source your acoustic and electric guitars. There were supplier for musical instruments that have a huge stock of acoustic guitars and some specialises in electric guitar setups. For more a more eclectic selection of instruments, there are wholesalers out there who stock just about everything. Obviously, if you want to specialise in one area, your wholesaling process is significantly simplified.

So there you go, your guide to finding a supplier and buying musical instruments wholesale.

Mitch Gleason has been a business writer for the past 15 years contributing to many business periodicals. Read some of his articles at http://www.supply-wholesale.com/wholesale-jewelry-articles.html and http://www.supply-wholesale.com/wholesale-jewelry.html.

In any area of business, you have two types of entities or products competing against one another, the “major brand” and the “minor brand”. The major brand is that brand that is more quickly reconized while the minor brand is one with a name just because it has to have one OR the major brand may be the product in that area of commerce at the time. This is the case with digital music players today as there are many “MP3 players” on the market right now and there is also the iPod. Consider a few areas of comparison.

Your first consideration is of the fact that you can buy a digital music player from, say, apple for around $250 while iPod produces the same 60GB player for around $400. People constantly see other people discussing the function and advancement of the iPod,comparing it to all others you believe that it is an obvious way to go, but when it comes to the hard drive, space is most important. In this case, it is as easy as saving $250!

The next consideration, if you are the type of person that gets frustrated easily with head games being played by major corporate types is that iPod requires you to use their format to play on their player. Instead of regular MP3 files that most everyone else uses, iPod requires use of their file so if you get frustrated by worthless problems; you might consider a “minor brand” MP3 player.

When it is all said and done, when you are buying a digital music player the argument is the same as just about everything else you purchase for a large amount of money, do you want to be cool or level headed? If you want to be cool and carry your newest gadget on your arm to show off to all of those around you then you need to go with the iPod and not worry about the money. If you want to save money and enjoy a lot of hard drive space to store songs in without regard to what people think of your taste then go with the “minor brand”. But whatever you do,make the desicions yourself. You will be overwhelmed if you listen to every salesman you know. Choose wisely. Don’t be afraid to shop around for a bargain. This is a major purchase. Don’t be forced into anything. Salesmen will push you into something you may not want. As with any major decision, you need to take your time and choose the player that you will enjoy for years to come. Test them out when you shop around. MP3′s and Ipods are a huge market. There are dozens of brands and styles to choose from. Also, keep an eye on the Sunday newspaper for sales listings for MP3′s and IPods. Sometimes your choice of the retailer you visit can be confusing. One of the best ways to shop around is to make phone calls to the different retailers and inquire about features and prices of different MP3′s and IPods.

Phil Sinner author of multiple articles http://duiaustin.net

At the height of folk music, when American youth began regarding the genre as the optimal way to express defiance against an older generation, Robert Zimmerman plugged in.

Dylan “going electric” is one of those historic cultural moments that everyone uses to define the ’60s. It was the ultimate expression of an individual, someone who wasn’t just willing to rebel against the mainstream, but willing to rebel against the counter-culture as well. Not everyone was happy about his parting with the softer, more peaceful sounds of folk, but Dylan had simply made the next logical choice in an artist career that was only interested in finding new, better tools for expression.

Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, MN in 1941. He was a talented performer as a boy and as a teenager, and would go on to study art in college. He would perform in coffeehouses under his infamous stage name, borrowing Dylan Thomas’ first name for his surname. In the early ’60s, Dylan was quickly making a name for himself in New York’s bohemian circles. In 1962, he released his debut album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. When Peter, Paul and Mary covered his classic song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” it gave him recognition that spread like wildfire. His music’s literate qualities and the winding, labyrinthine nature of his lyrics made him popular among both critics as well as fans. Today, many of his songs are considered untouchable classics from this period.

With albums like Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan continued to evolve his sound. “Like a Rolling Stone” became a defining single for him, summing up the sense of frustration that was building among the hippie youth. People were questioning social mores and what was expected of them by their society. With all the experimenting going on, it made perfect sense that Dylan’s song would reflect the prevalent soul-searching the younger generation of Americans was doing.

In 1966, Dylan released Blonde on Blonde, a double-disc album that is still considered one of his best. Later that year, however, tragedy would strike. While riding his motorcycle, Dylan would crash and suffering a concussion, as well as damaging his neck vertebrae. The accident would take a permanent toll, changing his voice as well as his personality. He became more reclusive, spending more time with his family and recording more at home.

That didn’t deter him from producing great work. Always a fan of the blues and country, Dylan’s music would continue to explore those genres and find new stories to tell through them. Today, Dylan is considered an elder statesman of rock ‘n’ roll, and has had an undeniable influence on the artists of today. They repay the inspiration he’s given them through homage and respect for his work.

There are plenty of fans that still love him, as well. Bob Dylan tickets are hard to come by, and are often snapped up easily.

This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells http://www.stubhub.com/bob-dylan-tickets/ as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.