Robert Allen Zimmerman, born 24 May 1941. Changed his name to Bob Dylan in 1962. He’s 80 years old today, unbelievable, makes me feel young.

Dylan has written well over 600 songs and countless other verses and stories and sold more than 125m albums. His songs have been covered by over 6,000 artistes including The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, Guns ‘n Roses and Adele. A version of “Another Cup Of Coffee” is on Tom Jones’ album released 2 weeks ago. Dylan says he wrote one of his most iconic songs, “Blowin’ In The Wind” in ten minutes then went across the road to perform it in the Gaslight coffee house in Greenwich Village NY. Labelled as the song that launched a thousand protest marches.

His output is prodigious and overwhelmingly powerful. He has performed 4045 concerts in over 800 cities worldwide since he began in 1961. That’s 1 concert every 5½ days on average. His concert performances are quirky to say the least. I’ve been to a couple, the first at the Albert Hall in 1966 was brilliant. The second at Wembley 10 years later, not so. In addition to the songs he writes and records he is also an author, poet, composer of film scores, actor, artist, sculptor, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner and, more recently, creator of fine ‘Heaven’s Door’ whisky. And he’s funny. And an enigma.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I am unashamedly a fan. I will be playing my favourite Dylan albums today and sipping some Heaven’s Door later.

I realise he’s a bit Marmite, but are any of you with me on this or do you not get him? Have you any Bob tales to tell?

Anyway, Happy Birthday Bob and thanks.

“Ah, but I was so much older then,
I’m younger than that now”
from My Back Pages on Another Side of Bob Dylan.

Wouldn't want to argue with you Tom, you're probably bigger than me. But......

I realise he’s a bit Marmite, but are any of you with me on this or do you not get him? Have you any Bob tales to tell?