His voice might not be to everyone's taste, but nobody can argue that Bob Dylan is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time. When he made the switch from the acoustic guitar to the electric guitar in the mid 1966s, folk music fans nearly started a riot at a concert. Dylan has been seen as a poet, a protest song writer, and almost a prophet by the people who idolize him. That's quite a list of achievements for a guy who was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and isn't even called Bob Dylan.
Dylan was actually born as Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941, but took on the stage name of 'Dylan' after being inspired and moved by the works of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. He grew up listening to blues and country radio stations, and progressed into writing folk music because he felt it sounded 'more authentic' than the rock and roll bands who were emerging at the time. As a performer, he's been on tour constantly since 1988 with very few breaks, and has spoken of wanting to continue for the rest of his life.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.