For Sale: Bob Dylan’s legendary Newport Festival guitar
Up until 1965, Bob Dylan was gaining incredible popularity on the American folk scene, playing the revered Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and 1964.
When he returned for a third performance in 1965 Dylan did something that would change music history forever: he played his set with a band, through amps, with an electric guitar.
After being introduced by Peter Yarrow, Bob Dylan came on stage and began “Maggie’s Farm” amplified and continued that way for the rest of his fifteen minute set. The performance brought roars from the crowd. Possibly boos, possibly cheers, the crowd reaction has be debated for decades. But one thing is certain: this performance helped turn Dylan into the legend that he is today. And now the sunburst Fender Stratocaster he used at that legendary gig is up for auction.
Along with some lyrics found in a guitar case, by New Jersey’s Dawn Paterson (and verified as the actual Dylan guitar last summer on an episode of PBS’ History Detectives) this is a stunning piece of history for sale. Below, you can watch a video from the legendary performance and if you have some spare cash (a lot of spare cash) maybe you can be a part of this history too. And if you want to catch the legendary performer in person, there are still tickets available for his show at the XPoNential Music Festival this summer.