Bob Dylan receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Barack Obama awarded Bob Dylan a Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honour, during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday (May 29).

The folk icon was one of 13 recipients to receive the honour alongside author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Israeli president Shimon Peres and astronaut John Glenn.

"By the time he was 23, Bob’s voice, with its weight, its unique, gravelly power was redefining not just what music sounded like, but the message it carried and how it made people feel," Obama said. "Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude."

"There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music," he added. "All these years later, he's still chasing that sound, still searching for a little bit of truth... And I have to say that I am a really big fan."

Dylan is working on his 35th studio album, which is reportedly due out in September.

(via NME)