Robbie Robertson speaks during a press conference for ‘Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band’ at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Robbie Robertson, leader of The Band, passed away on Aug. 9. A Canadian musician with a global impact, he never forgot his Mohawk roots. After going solo, he became known for his film scores.
Gordon Lightfoot’s musical impact expanded beyond Canada and into the United States.
(Shutterstock)
After Gordon Lightfoot’s death, the musician was celebrated for his Canadian-ness. But his legacy is more complex than that, and his influence extends beyond Canada.
Bob Dylan performing with George Harrison in 1971.
AP
Raphael Falco, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Because Dylan draws from songs from the past, he has been accused of plagiarism. But this view has been colored by a distorted understanding of the creative process.
Prince on stage at the 2007 Superbowl during his famous half-time performance.
UPI/Alamy
During our current bout of collective trauma, many of our coping strategies have mimicked the ways Americans responded to the Kennedy assassination.
The Supremes, with their polished performances and family-friendly lyrics, helped to bridge a cultural divide and temper racial tensions.
AP Photo/Frings
Aram Sinnreich, American University School of Communication
How can a band so slavishly derivative – and sometimes downright plagiaristic – be also considered radically innovative and influential?
The Rolling Stones performing in Hamburg during the ‘No Filter’ European tour: the band’s legacy is entwined with the pioneers of black American music.
Morris Mac Matzen/Reuters
Pinching musical phrases and stylistic approaches has always been a part of art making and can be a respectful exchange. But shallow, ill-informed appropriation only perpetuates tired stereotypes.
Bootlegs - across formats - have experienced buoyancy within the music marketplace for the last 40 years or so.
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Musicians were able to connect with confused, scared and angry Americans – including those who supported the war – in a way actors, broadcasters and writers could not.
Odysseus and his crew escape the cyclops, as painted by Arnold Böcklin in 1896.
Wikimedia
The story of the Odyssey is a quintessential quest that relates to the passage through life and the importance of love, family and home. Odysseus’s adventures have influenced everyone from Batman to Bob Dylan.
Bob Dylan said songs are meant to be sung not read, and he has a point. Songs and poems obey different rules.
Bob Dylan pictured in 2012: his long synopses of a seemingly random list of books made up the bulk of this week’s Nobel Prize speech.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Perhaps more clearly than Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen showed that songwriting can be a literary art. Within his apparently simple words lies a profound sense of playfulness and enigma.
What does the Nobel mean for America?
Amelia Gapin
Immigrants have contributed to America’s great success at the Nobel. Of the 350 Nobel winners from the United States, more than 100 have been immigrants.