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Early 1964 Newport Folk Festival ad... Bob Dylan...
Early 1964 Newport Folk Festival ad... Bob Dylan...
Item # 701829
July 16, 1964
THE VILLAGE VOICE (weekly), Greenwich Village, New York, July 16, 1964
* Newport Folk Festival - music concert
* Year before Bob Dylan's electric controversy
Page 9 has a early advertisement for the "Newport Folk Festival" in Rhode Island. This ad measures 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches. (see image) This was a 4 day event and has a list of all the performers including Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. I suspect this to be an extremely rare item because their was really no reason to save it at the time.
wikipedia notes: Bob Dylan's 1963 and 1964 performances solo and with Baez had made him popular with the Newport crowd, but on July 25, 1965, festival headliner Dylan was booed by some fans when he played with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band as his backing band.
It is usually said that the reason for the hostile reception by a small number of fans was Dylan's "abandoning" of the folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night (or a combination of the two). The controversy regarding the reaction of the audience at this event is often overplayed, as it was not the general reaction of the audience, but rather that of a small number of folk "purists", including Pete Seeger. The reaction of "the crowd" to Dylan's performance, certainly from eyewitness accounts, was generally quite enthusiastic. This performance, Dylan's first live "plugged-in" set of his professional career, marked the shift in his artistic direction from folk to rock, and had wider implications for both genres. The performance marked the first time Dylan performed "Like a Rolling Stone" in public.
Despite the musical transition, Dylan's growing status within the larger counterculture ensured that his place in the expanding movement would remain secure.
Dylan did not return to Newport until 2002, when he played a headlining performance while wearing a wig and fake beard.
It is worth noting that "The Village Voice" was an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955, the Voice began as a platform for the creative community of New York City.
Complete in 20 pages, tabloid-size, one crease across the center, very nice condition.
Provenance note: This issue comes from The Village Voice's own archives, part of their in-house collection used to create their digital archive.
Alert: Many issues of The Village Voice contain articles and/or photos which some consider offensive, and are certainly inappropriate for children. Please purchase with discretion.
Category: The 20th Century
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