Robert Allen Zimmerman, known professionally as Bob Dylan, is an American singer-songwriter and composer, considered one of the most influential figures in 20th-century music. Emerging in the early 1960s as a leading figure in the folk scene, he became famous for songs with strong social and political impact, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'". In the middle of the decade, he surprised audiences with a controversial electric turn, inaugurating a rock phase that culminated in pivotal albums such as *Highway 61 Revisited* and *Blonde on Blonde*. His long career is marked by continuous artistic reinvention and by lyrics of the highest poetic and literary value, which have redefined the role of the singer-songwriter. Among the numerous awards he has received are multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."