The Newport Folk Festival was founded in 1959 by Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger and George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and his partner, Albert Grossman. Baez and Dylan at Washington, 1963 The Festival is renowned for introducing a number of performers who went on to become major stars, most notably Joan Baez (who appeared as an unannounced guest of Bob Gibson in 1959), and Bob Dylan (managed by Grossman), whose first Newport appearance in 1963 is generally regarded as his premiere national performance. Dylan became the artist most famously (and infamously) associated with the festival.
In 1963 and 1964, Dylan was accompanied by Joan Baez (who in turn had been one of the first discoveries of the first Newport Folk Festival, in the company of Chicago musician Bob Gibson). The festival draws on folk music in a wide and loosened sense. For instance, in the 1960s there were famous performances by Johnny Cash and Howlin' Wolf, artists usually described as representing country music and blues respectively.
The festival was associated with the 1960s Blues Revival, where artists "lost" since the 1940s (e.g. Concerts have been a rich source of recordings.
Murray Lerner directed the 1967 film based on the 1963-1965 festivals, now available on DVD. The Newport Folk Festival was founded in 1959 by Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger and George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and his partner, Albert Grossman.
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