Dear Editor,
Having read Mr. Rooplall Dudnauth’s letter in your daily edition of October 14, 2016, which dealt with Bob Dylan, the American singer who was recently awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, I felt compelled to offer a few lines of my own in this regard.
During the sixties, the popular music of the day was performed predominantly by singing groups. American Rhythm and Blues (R & B) groups such as The Drifters and The Platters and British Pop /Rock groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Animals, readily come to mind.
However, during that same era, there were some solo artistes who were noticeably gaining an ascendancy of the music ladder.
They adopted a genre of music called “Folk” where emphasis was placed on the lyrics of a song rather than its beat. These songs highlighted protests, social (in) justice and civil rights issues of the American sixties. One such solo artiste was the American singer, Bob Dylan.
While Dylan may not be considered the ideal singer, it is his writings for which he gains acclaim and recognition. His super hits like “Blowing in the wind”, “The Times they are – a changing”, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and the magical ballad “Turn, Turn, Turn”, some of the lyrics of which were lifted from The Book of Ecclesiastes in The Bible, Chapter 3, show the sheer genius of his writings.
Dylan’s works, I have no doubt, will continue to impact us in these ever changing times in which we live and as we continue our search for answers to problems which affect our world, his lyrics will continue to give us hope because, in his words, the answers are already here with us, it is just that they are “Blowing in the wind”.
I wish to salute Bob on his award and like another Bob whom I am very fond of – Marley – he is in a class of his own…. a master class.
Yours faithfully,
Maurice Abraham
