Dylan’s Newport 'Going Electric' Still an Infamous Moment in Rock

For the majority of his career, Bob Dylan had been a folk hero. On July 25, 1965, his appearance at the Newport Folk Festival changed that image overnight when he switched from acoustic folk to electric instruments. Many fans who expected a folk set saw the move as a betrayal and some never viewed him the same way again.

At the time The Times They Are a-Changin’ had already been released and cemented his standing in folk music. Feeling constrained, Dylan wanted to explore rock, influenced by Little Richard. Bringing It All Back Home, released months before Newport, leaned more toward rock and was his first album to break into the top 10 on Billboard.

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