July 25, 1965

On this day, folk legend Bob Dylan performed for the first time with electric instruments. His fans had grown so accustomed to hearing him play on an acoustic guitar that they booed him off the stage.

Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota in 1941, formed his first rock-and-roll band in high school. Later, at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, he became a devotee of wandering folk singer Woody Guthrie, emulating the singer’s sound, politics, and roving lifestyle. Dylan moved to New York City in 1961, where he became a regular in Greenwich Village, writing ballads and political songs. By 1963, his song “Blowin’ in the Wind” had been recorded by folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary and had become a hit.

By 1964, he had felt the impact of the Beatles and returned to writing rock and roll. That year, he released Another Side of Bob Dylan, which included rock songs, and in May 1965 he released Bringing It All Back Home, which included electric guitars. The record was a hit in England but not in the United States. Later that year, he released his breakthrough rock-and-roll album in the U.S., Like a Rolling Stone. However, he was still known primarily as a folk singer, and at the annual Newport Folk Festival, organizers expected him to continue his powerful solo folk performances.

On July 25, 1965, Dylan surprised the audience and organizers when he came onstage with musicians — including an electric bassist and electric guitarist — and launched into “Maggie’s Farm.” The crowd erupted, calling him a sellout, and after only three songs, Dylan left the stage.

Undaunted, Dylan continued to reinvent himself as a rock musician while his defiant attitude and quest for artistic integrity influenced the shape of modern rock.