Newport Folk Celebrates ‘65 Revisited

Thursday, July 23, 2015
Ken Abrams, GoLocalWorcester Music Critic

Dylan Goes Electric is a new book by Elijah Wald

50 Years ago this summer, an event in Newport, Rhode Island changed the course of folk music and American popular culture. In an unexpected shock to folk music establishment, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan plugged in - he “went electric” impacting the direction of popular music for years to come.

There are several events scheduled at this year’s Newport Folk Festival to commemorate the occasion, including a Sunday session with author Elijah Wald as well as a musical celebration of the event on Sunday evening with special unannounced guests.

Dylan Goes Electric

Two new books shed more light on this topic that has been memorialized over the years. The first is titled Dylan at Newport, 1965 – Music, Myth and Un-Meaning, written by Rhode Island author Ed Renehan. In his book, Renehan discounts many of the myths that have grown up around the legendary event. It’s a concise take on the subject and a great read, highly recommended as a primer on the topic. Its available in hard copy or e-book here.

The second book, just published last week, is penned by music writer Elijah Wald, who will be presenting a workshop at the Folk Festival on Sunday. Dylan Goes Electric is a more in depth read that covers the background and impact of that memorable day. In an interview with GoLocalProv, Wald noted that he wrote the book “to sort out what happened with Dylan at Newport.”

Elijah Wald, author of Dylan Goes Electric, will Speak at the Newport Folk (Photo: Sandrine Sheon)

Boos and Cheers

The most notable legend has always been the claim that Dylan was booed by the folk conscious crowd.

“One night I happened to find myself in the middle of one of those arguments-was he booed or wasn’t he?” wondered Wald.

On that issue, the author confirms a few details:

“There is this myth that everyone at Newport was booing--a few people were, and that was news, but many more were cheering.  And there is the myth that the people booing were ‘folk purists.’ The fact is, as far as I can tell, the people who were most disappointed were not the purists who liked Doc Watson and Mississippi John Hurt; they were the people who liked Peter, Paul and Mary and loved Dylan as the guy who wrote ‘Blowin' in the Wind.’” 

Wald addresses other debates on the event, including the idea that playing the electric guitar was something new for Dylan.

“He not only had been a rock 'n' roller in high school, but had released a hot rockabilly single ("Mixed-Up Confusion") in 1962, between his first and second LPs.” Around this time, Dylan’s classic “Like a Rolling Stone,” had just been released and was climbing the charts. 

Stories and legends have arisen over the years – no, Pete Seeger did not try to chop the electric cables with an axe, although he did have reservations about the performance. He later explained the poor sound mix was part of the problem; indeed, others present had the same concern.

Dylan himself “seemed to enjoy the controversy and even the hostility. It seems like he was getting tired of just going up onstage by himself and singing his songs--and he was certainly eager to escape the mantle of being "the voice of a generation"--so both the change in his music and the way people reacted seem to have invigorated him,” remarked Wald.

“Dylan has never stopped liking and honoring folk music; he was trying to extend the tradition, not to destroy it, and in hindsight I think most modern folk musicians continue to think of him as a major figure in their world.”

Wald will be presenting his book and leading a discussion on “the night that split the 60’s” at a special workshop on the Museum Stage on Sunday July 26 at Noon. Don’t miss it!

’65 Revisited

The Folk Festival also has a special program planned for the final performance on Sunday July 26, the last day of the Festival. The commemoration of Dylan going electric is called ’65 Revisited, where a secret all star line up of contemporary artists is scheduled to play. As for who’s going to show up, it’s the best kept secret in America right now, although the Festival has announced that Dylan himself is not expected to be there. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear.

Ken Abrams reviews Roots, Rock, Folk and Blues for GoLocal. E-mail him here. And plan to follow GoLocalWorcester all weekend long for Folk Festival photos and updates.