Bob Dylan "Goes Electric" 1965 Newport Folk Festival Concert Poster. ...

Description

Bob Dylan "Goes Electric" 1965 Newport Folk Festival Concert Poster. An original cardboard advertising window card for the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island featuring a bevy of famous folk musicians. Most prominent among them was Bob Dylan, whose "Like a Rolling Stone" entered the Billboard Hot 100 this very week, and who famously plugged in with amplified musicians to help invent folk-rock right there on the spot.

A lot of music historians like to say that this event changed the course of pop-music history. It certainly lit a fuse under the youth movement, and accelerated the inevitable merging of folk and rock which would be pop's new dominant music form until acid rock came into the picture two years later.

Lots of other important names appear on the poster, such as Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bill Monroe, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon. But it was Dylan's changing of the guard that makes this such a historic and significant piece. It's only the second time Heritage has been able to offer this rare poster for sale; a year & a half ago we got $21,250 for the first one. Measures 14" x 22" and grades to repaired Very Good condition. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: For his brief, historic electric set, Dylan was backed by Mike Bloomfield on searing lead electric guitar, Al Kooper on organ, Barry Goldberg on piano, Jerome Arnold on bass and Sam Lay on drums. He opened with "Maggie's Farm" from his most recent LP, Bringing It All Back Home, to mixed boos and cheers. Dylan then did his upcoming big hit "Like a Rolling Stone," and closed with an early version of "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" which is called "Phantom Engineer." After being called back by the crowd and MC Peter Yarrow, Dylan performs two final songs solo acoustically: "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," his swan song to Newport (he wouldn't return until 2002).

The complete talent line-up found on this poster:

Thursday, July 22: Joan Baez, Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman, Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers, Maybelle Carter, the Cajun Band, Rev. Gary Davis, Son House, Lilly Bros. & Tex Logan, New Lost City Ramblers, Eck Robertson and Josh White.

Friday, July 23: Cape Breton Singers, Roscoe Holcomb, Mississippi John Hurt, Sam & Kirk McGee & Arthur Smith, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, Moving Star Hall Singers, New York Street Games, Arthur Nicolle, Larry Older, Peter, Paul & Mary, Dock Reese & Texas Work Song Group, Pete Seeger, Ed Young & Southern Fife & Drum Corps and Annie Walters.

Saturday, July 24: Horton Barker, Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman, Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, Lightning Hopkins, Ian & Sylvia, Norman Kennedy, Kweskin Jug Band, A.L. Lloyd, Bill Monroe & Blue Grass Boys, New England Contra Dancers, Odetta and Joe Patterson.

Sunday, July 25: Bob Dylan, Fiddler Beers Family, Len Chandler, Cousin Emmy, Ronnie Gilbert, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shang Dance Troupe, Mance Lipscomb, Moving Star Hall Singers, Peter, Paul & Mary, Jean Ritchie and Eric Von Schmidt.

Condition details: We feel like we could call this "almost unrestored" condition, because there remains a few small damage things that weren't addressed. But there was definitely repair work done to the top third of the board going down through "Folk" and into the guitar sketch. Whether they were creases or tears to the board you can't tell, but it's been color-matched to blend right in. That whole semi-circle under and including "Newport Folk Festival" has a lot of light creasing issues, but nothing too visible. The repair work also loses significance given all the almost-psychedelic moisture splotches here & there, especially at the bottom. The verso shows the water & moisture damage more clearly; the red ink was obviously of a nature where it "ran" easily when water hit it.


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