July 25, 1965Reputable sourceWell documented
Dylan Goes Electric
On the timeline · around July 25, 1965 · The Rock & Pop Era
What happened
On July 25, 1965, the folk star Bob Dylan took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric band and played rock instead of acoustic folk. Parts of the audience booed, and the moment became legendary as a clash between folk 'authenticity' and the new folk-rock.
Why it matters
Dylan's turn to electric music helped merge the poetic ambition of folk with the power of rock, expanding what popular songs could say and legitimizing rock as a vehicle for serious ideas.