Based on new interviews, previously untapped sources, and untold hours of unreleased Newport tapes, it provides unexpected additions and insights to a story that has been mythologized but never seriously explored. It was the shot heard round the world-Dylan’s declaration of musical independence, the end of the folk revival, and the birth of rock as the voice of a generation-and one of the defining moments in twentieth-century music.ĭylan Goes Electric! puts that night in the cultural, political and historical context of its time, traces Dylan's evolution as a searching and omnivorous musician, explores what Newport was and meant, and restores Pete Seeger to the central role he played in the festival and the whole concept of folk music as it was understood in that time. On the evening of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan took the stage at Newport Folk Festival backed by an electric band and roared into a blistering version of 'Maggie's Farm,' followed by his new rock hit, 'Like a Rolling Stone.' The audience of committed folkies and political activists who had hailed him as their acoustic prophet (mixed with some young rock fans who loved the Byrds and Beatles and his new sound) reacted with a mix of shock, booing, and cheers. ( errata-my errors please let me know if you find others) Published byDey Street/HarperCollins, July 2015. The story of Bob Dylan's iconic electric apostasy at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, set in the context of its turbulent times, Dylan's musical evolution, and the oft-misunderstood folk revival, personified by the oft-misunderstood Pete Seeger. Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties, by Elijah Wald

Pete seeger bob dylan