The electric Dylan controversy was the incident at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday July 25, 1965, where folk singer Bob Dylan "went electric", by playing with an electric blues band in concert for the first time. This seeming rejection of what had gone before made Dylan unpopular in parts of the folk community, alienating some fans, and is considered to have deeply affected both folk and rock 'n' roll. The Newport Folk Festival is an annual folk-oriented music festival founded in 1959 by George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and his partner, Albert Grossman. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Folk song redirects here. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... The electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, the bass guitar , and/or the harmonica. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... Rock and roll - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

Newport 1965 set

Fans were more used to seeing Dylan perform alone, with acoustic guitar and harmonica (1963)

In the American folk music revival taking place at the time, Dylan had emerged as one of the country's leading young folk singers, and was greeted warmly at the 1963 and 1964 Newport festivals. He was the Sunday-night headliner in 1965, and had just released the album Bringing It All Back Home, which was half-electric and half-acoustic, and, in much the same spirit, Dylan performed two songs acoustically ("All I Really Want to Do" and "Mr. Tambourine Man") at a Newport workshop on Saturday, July 24^[1], before he told organist Al Kooper that he wanted to play with a pickup band the following evening. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 403 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (750 × 1,116 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 403 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (750 × 1,116 pixels, file size: 1. ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s. ... Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a city in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. ... Look up headliner in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bringing It All Back Home is Bob Dylans fifth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records. ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... All I Really want to Do was Chers debut. ... Mr. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A pickup group (also called a pickup band, pickup orchestra, or jobbing band) is a term used to describe a group of musicians that are hired to play for a limited time period—ranging from a single concert or recording to several weeks of shows—before disbanding. ...

The band that went on stage on Sunday was Dylan (vocals, electric guitar), Mike Bloomfield (guitar), Sam Lay (drums), Jerome Arnold (bass guitar), Al Kooper (organ) and Barry Goldberg (piano) - most of these were members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, also playing that weekend. They had practiced with Dylan all Saturday night in a nearby mansion, but according to Kooper, "The Butterfield Band didn't have the best chemistry to back Dylan ... It [the practice] was a tough night - complicated and ugly".^[2][3] For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... An electric guitar An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 - February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set - the latter an old-fashioned term) is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a sole percussionist (drummer), usually for jazz, rock, or other types of contemporary music. ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The electric organ is a myogenic organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field, a behavior used for navigation as well as communication in natural environments. ... Barry Goldberg (born 1941 in Chicago, Illinois) is a blues and rock keyboardist. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... Paul Butterfield (December 17, 1942 – May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player and singer, and one of the earliest white exponents of the Chicago-originated electric blues style. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Footage of Dylan's Newport performance can be seen in the documentary films Festival (1967) and No Direction Home (2005). The footage begins with Dylan being introduced by Master of Ceremonies Peter Yarrow: "Ladies and gentlemen, the person that's going to come up now has a limited amount of time ... His name is Bob Dylan." In the documentary footage, the sound of loud booing and sporadic cheering begins just a few bars into Dylan's first song, "Maggie's Farm", and continues throughout the second, "Like a Rolling Stone". Festival DVD cover Festival is a 1967 documentary film about the Newport Folk Festival, directed by Murray Lerner. ... Lauren steiger, born in 1992 at Royal Womens hospital started acting and modelling at the age of 2 and is now currently 15 working in Milan on the catwalks. ... For other uses, see No direction home (disambiguation). ... This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... A Master of Ceremonies or MC (sometimes spelled emcee), sometimes called a compere or an MJ for microphone jockey, is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. ... Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. ... Maggies Farm is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded on January 15, 1965, and released on the album Bringing It All Back Home on March 22 of that year. ... Highway 61 Revisited track listing Like a Rolling Stone (1) Tombstone Blues (2) Music sample: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone 30 seconds (of 6:10) Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...

After playing "Like A Rolling Stone" (not shown in No Direction Home), Dylan told the band, "Let's go, man. That's all", and walked off-stage. The sound of loud booing and clapping can be heard in the background of the film. Peter Yarrow returned to the microphone and begged Dylan to continue performing. Highway 61 Revisited track listing Like a Rolling Stone (1) Tombstone Blues (2) Music sample: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone 30 seconds (of 6:10) Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...

Dylan, by some accounts highly distressed, was coaxed back by Yarrow and Joan Baez. Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and harmonica, he sang two songs to the now-silent audience — "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" — and received a positive reception. Dylan did not return to the Newport festival until 2002, when he was welcomed back with open arms. Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... Mr. ... Its All Over Now, Baby Blue is a song by Bob Dylan. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Reasons for the crowd's reaction

The traditional explanation is that the boos were from outraged folk fans, who disliked Dylan using an electric guitar. An alternative account claims that audience members were upset by poor sound quality, and a surprisingly short set (Kooper admitted that the band had only mastered the three songs they played.^[4])

The sound quality was certainly the reason Pete Seeger (backstage) disliked the performance: he says he went to the sound system and told the technicians, "Get that distortion out of his voice ... It's terrible. If I had an axe, I'd chop the microphone cable right now." Seeger has also said, however, that he only wanted to cut the cables because he wanted the audience to hear Dylan's lyrics properly, because he thought they were important.^[5] Rumours that Seeger actually had an axe, or that a festival board member wanted to pull out the entire electrical wiring system^[6], remain unsubstantiated. In the film No Direction Home, Seeger claimed he wanted to silence the band because it was frightening his elderly father. In the same film, Dylan claimed that Seeger's unenthusiastic response to his set made him "go out and get drunk". Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919), almost universally known as Pete Seeger, is a folk singer, political activist, and author. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Look up lyrics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see No direction home (disambiguation). ...

The crowd's motivation is unclear. Bruce Jackson, who was a director of the Newport Folk Festival, called the incident "the myth of Newport". Professor Jackson was present at Dylan's 1965 performance, and in 2002 reviewed an audio tape of it; he contends the booing was directed at Peter Yarrow, who upset the crowd when he attempted to keep Dylan's spot to its proper length rather than let the crowd hear more of his music; Professor Jackson maintains there's nothing to indicate the crowd disliked Dylan's music, electrified or not.^[7]

Dylan himself said, "I had no idea why they were booing ... I don't think anybody was there having a negative response to those songs, though. Whatever it was about, it wasn't about anything that they were hearing."^[8] Dylan's set was not the last of the weekend: "sandwiched between Cousin Emmy and the Sea Island singers, two very traditional acts,...Dylan had to do his bit at the appointed spot, without a sound check for his pick-up band"^[9]. The Georgia Sea Island Singers are an American folk music ensemble from Georgia, United States. ...

Aftermath

Songs played "electrically" became an established part of concerts by Dylan (seen here 1996)

The reason for negative reactions at future Dylan shows was much clearer: Many of his fans disliked his decision to turn his back on what some saw as the "true" music of folk. Image File history File linksMetadata B_dylan_1996. ... Image File history File linksMetadata B_dylan_1996. ...

What made fans' relationship with Dylan more complicated was the structure of his concerts in the late 1960s; the first half would be folk (Dylan alone), the second, rock (with his band), and the rock segment was often greeted with hostility, as seen in shows in Sheffield and Newcastle upon Tyne in No Direction Home. Footage from the Manchester Free Trade Hall concert, at the end of that film, includes the infamous Judas heckle incident. During a quiet moment in between songs, an audience member shouts very loudly and clearly "Judas!", to which Dylan replies "I don't believe you, you're a liar" before telling his band to "Play it fucking loud!" as they begin to play an acidic version of "Like a Rolling Stone".^[10][11] The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... The Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, was for many years a focal point for public debate and cultural activity in the city. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      For other... Highway 61 Revisited track listing Like a Rolling Stone (1) Tombstone Blues (2) Music sample: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone 30 seconds (of 6:10) Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...

Dylan did not reconsider his decision to 'go electric', as band arrangements featured on many of his albums afterwards; the success of "Like a Rolling Stone" showed that there was still an eager fanbase for Dylan's songs. In music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet. ...

See also

• Bringing It All Back Home
• Highway 61 Revisited
• No Direction Home
• Festival
• Folk rock

Bringing It All Back Home is Bob Dylans fifth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records. ... Highway 61 Revisited is Bob Dylans sixth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records. ... For other uses, see No direction home (disambiguation). ... Festival DVD cover Festival is a 1967 documentary film about the Newport Folk Festival, directed by Murray Lerner. ... Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ...

External links

• Guardian.co.uk: "Bob Dylan's return to the scene of the crime", August 2, 2002
• Queens University of Charlotte: Extract from Robert Shelton, No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan, New York, 1986

References

1. ^ Rollingstone.com: "Dylan Goes Electric in 1965"
2. ^ Ibid., Rollingstone.com
3. ^ Seven Ages of Rock - Events - Dylan goes electric
4. ^ Ibid., Rollingstone.com
5. ^ Speaking in No Direction Home (2005)
6. ^ Robert Shelton, No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan, New York, 1986, pp301-304
7. ^ Buffalo Report: Bruce Jackson's account of the audience reaction to Bob Dylan
8. ^ Bob Dylan, speaking in No Direction Home (2005)
9. ^ Ibid., Shelton
10. ^ No Direction Home DVD, 2005.
11. ^ Glover, Tony (1998). Bob Dylan Live 1966 Liner Notes. New York, New York: Columbia Records, 7.