By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bob Dylan, known for playing concerts with barely a word spoken to his audience, gave a lengthy speech on Friday at a gala in his honor where he chronicled the roots of his music while also praising and ribbing famous figures. The 73-year-old Dylan, considered by many musicians and critics to be the best singer-songwriter of his time, spoke for 40 minutes at the Los Angeles event tied to this weekend's Grammy Awards, as he was named "person of the year" by the MusiCares charity. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter handed Dylan the award after a night of performances of his songs, including "Knocking on Heaven's Door" and "Standing in the Doorway", by a cast of superstars. Beck and Sheryl Crow played harmonica, Jack White flew through a guitar solo, Bruce Springsteen jammed with Tom Morello, Norah Jones gave a bluesy piano performance and Los Lobos sang in Spanish.