Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will among the thirteen Americans presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama later this spring.
The list, announced today by the White House, also includes novelist Toni Morrison, astronaut John Glenn, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, human and civil rights activists Dolores Huerta, John Doar and Gordon Hirabyashi, Polish WW2 resistance fighter Jan Karski, physician William Foege, NCAA basketball coach Pat Summitt, Supreme Court judge John Paul Stevens, and politicians Madeline Albright and Shimon Peres.
In a statement, Obama said: "These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation. They've challenged us, they've inspired us, and they've made the world a better place. I look forward to recognizing them with this award."
Obama is a big Dylan fan. And likewise, Dylan was a clear fan of Obama in the 2008 U.S. election. However, the first time the two met was a bit awkward. In February 2010, Dylan played for the Obamas at a concert marking the Civil Rights era.
Obama recounted the interaction in an interview months later with Rolling Stone magazine:
"Here’s what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you’d expect he would be. He wouldn’t come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn’t want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn’t show up to that. He came in and played “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage… comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves… And I thought: That’s how you want Bob Dylan, right?... You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise."
Watch the 2008 performance at the White House below:
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