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Chapter 3 of 4: July 25, 1965
A little background…..
In 1959, George Wein, well-known for founding the Newport Jazz Festival, began inviting folk musicians to entertain audiences on Sunday afternoons. The growing list of artists included the Weavers, Odetta, Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger and a very young Joan Baez.
Soon, the venue became established and took on a life of its own, becoming known as the Newport Folk Festival.
Bob Dylan performed there in 1963 and 1964.
However, it was in 1965 when Dylan turned the venue upside down.
Then, history was made when the venue lost its purity, thanks to Dylan. Before this, the venue had only hosted acoustic folk artists.
However, on the night of July 25, 1965, the lid was completely blown off the acoustic sound when Dylan appeared with none other than the Paul Butterfield Blues Band backing him up.
The shocked crowd reacted largely with boos. This failed to dissuade Dylan, who played Maggie’s Farm, Like a Rolling Stone, and It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, backed by Butterfield’s band. He did return for an encore offering It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue and Mr. Tambourine Man, both acoustically.
Reviews of his performance were mixed and mostly negative.
However, the gauntlet had been laid. The unabashed Dylan had broken the sound barrier, never to offer regret or apology. The industry had been permanently changed.
He continued to have amplified musicians with him when he went on tour to England, using a group then known as the Hawks. They ultimately became known as The Band and had their own success.
Everything else is just history
