Remember When Pete Seeger Tried to Cut the Sound at Bob Dylan’s Iconic Newport Folk Festival Performance

Many know it as the day when Bob Dylan totally transformed himself. The day he traded his acoustic guitar for an electric, and the moment when he shed his folk singer skin to become a rock ‘n’ roller. It was July of 1965 when Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival and sent the world of music into shock and disbelief. Many were thrilled, whereas many were heartbroken and disgruntled. One person in the latter of the two groups was the one and only Pete Seeger.

For the longest time, Seeger was the focal point of the Newport Folk Festival. Serving on the board of directors, he was one of the more important decision-makers in the festival’s history. Furthermore, Seeger is known for being a folk music purist. Thus, he believed electrified instruments had no place in “true” folk music. With all that in mind, when Dylan subverted the festival’s brand and genre, Seeger’s temper allegedly got the best of him and he nearly put a stop to one of the most iconic days in music history.

Bob Dylan Performs “Maggie’s Farm”

The moment in which Seeger erupted with anger was when Dylan started with his acclaimed hit “Maggie’s Farm.” Dylan’s performance marked the first time a musician had played electric instruments at the folk festival. Consequently, Seeger said, “I was so mad I said ‘damn if I had an axe I’d cut the cable right now,’” per an interview with Democracy Now.

Seeger’s anger is justifiable, as the festival has always been known for upholding the sanctity of folk music. However, Dylan being Dylan, doesn’t care much for tradition and often subverts it in the name of progress.

Ostracized From Folk Music

It was at this moment when Bob Dylan became exiled from the genre that gifted him his fame. Before his electric performance, Ronnie Gilbert reportedly knew what he was about to do, and as a result, she stated, “And here he is…take him, you know him, he’s yours.” Now disbarred from a familiar world, Dylan had nothing to lose. So he plugged in and sent the world into a cataclysmic musical paralysis.

In his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan wrote “Screw that. As far as I knew, I didn’t belong to anybody then or now.” This comment came decades after the concert and Seeger also provided commentary in hindsight. According to Evergreen Cultural Center, Seeger expressed he wasn’t so mad at Dylan as he was about the quality of the sound. Regardless of the rumors and the unofficial removal of Dylan as a folk artist, the controversy of that day created a myth among men—Bob Dylan.

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